


to carry love (to carry children of our own)

by jadedsunshine



Category: Power Rangers (2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, Alternate Universe - Parents, Domestic Bliss, F/F, F/M, Female Tommy Oliver, M/M, Tidbits of Smut, Trini's Last Name is Not Kwan, lots of fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-10
Updated: 2018-01-07
Packaged: 2018-12-25 22:25:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 24
Words: 50,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12045549
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jadedsunshine/pseuds/jadedsunshine
Summary: The Power Rangers have transferred their powers. Now, Trini and Kimberly are parents. Zack and Tommy are newly married. Jason and Billy have moved in together. This is the start of a whole new journey for all of them. One they’re more than ready to embark on together because they have each other. Because they are a family.Or:The one where they all end up married with kids.





	1. Meeting Mackenzie

**Author's Note:**

> I really don’t know where this came from, but here it is. I’m still extremely anxious about posting this, but I didn’t want it locked away with the rest of the stories I’ve written for this fandom that I’m too afraid to share.
> 
> I’ll be honest in saying that I struggled with writing Billy. He’s such an important character, so I really hope I did him justice. 
> 
> I have this story pretty much drafted out and plan on finishing chapter by chapter. I’m not sure how often I’ll update, but I’ll try to find a routine. Also, there will probably be significant time jumps between some of the chapters. I wanted to touch on the many stages of parenthood.

Zack pivots on the ball of his foot and continues his pace in the opposite direction, letting his fingers brush against the metal letters on the wall that spell out _LABOR & DELIVERY_. The smell of disinfectant in the air is dizzying, causing him to drift back in forth between the current moment and that moment a couple of years ago when he held his mom’s hand as she finally let go. “What’s taking so long?” He groans as he pivots again, this time going over the smaller letters that formed the words _FAMILY WAITING ROOM_ with his fingers. 

“Dude, you’re going to form a hole in the tile.” Jason looks towards Zack, making note of the anxious expression on his face. He knows that Zack avoids the hospital at all costs, but he also knows that Zack wouldn’t want to be anywhere else right now. When Billy looks up with worry in his eyes, Jason pats the seat of the chair beside him. “Come sit, relax.”

Billy had made himself comfortable an hour ago by laying down on the couch that was right across from where Jason had sat down. He sits up now, hoping to help. “He’s right, Zack.” He says soothingly. “It may still take a couple of hours, Kimberly will keep us updated.” 

Zack visibly tenses. “Hours?” He shouts. He’d already been waiting for almost two, he didn’t know how many more he could take without completely losing it. When he looks towards the pair, Jason is at Billy’s side and he takes a deep breath in order to reply a second time more calmly. “You’re kidding, right?” 

Billy shakes his head slowly. “Uh, no. It really could be a couple more hours.” 

“Okay, well I need a break from this stuffy ass waiting room.”

“Getting some fresh air would probably help.” Billy says as he lifts his head off of Jason’s shoulder.

The three are on their feet and heading out the door instantly. “There’s a coffee shop across the street.” Jason says as they step out of the elevator. Once they’re past the automatic doors at the hospital exit, they’re hit with a cool, crisp breeze caused by the rain that has now stopped. 

Zack is taking in the scent, there’s something extremely satisfying about the smell of wet rain seeping its way through hot concrete. He can’t help but smile as he thinks about how perfectly the weather matches the couple inside currently waiting for the arrival of their first child. The dark rain clouds are all Trini and Kimberly is the sun who’s fighting to shine again. Some say the two shouldn’t work together, but they somehow do. He decides to keep the thought to himself.

Two hours later, the guys are back in the waiting room. Zack is curled on the couch asleep, his arm hanging over the side with the empty coffee cup still in his grasp. Jason and Billy are in the middle of an intense game of Dots & Boxes as they sit next to each other. 

The door of the waiting room flies open, causing a thud as it hits the wall. “Fuck!”

Zack jerks awake, dropping the cup and sitting up instantly. All that can be seen is a vase full of yellow roses with small bunches of baby’s breath tucked between each one and a bouquet of pink balloons with a large foot shaped one in the center that says _It’s a Girl_. However, because of the expletive and the oversized bright green leather tote bag hanging from her forearm, there’s no doubt that Tommy is the one who just walked in.

“Sorry I’m late.” She says as she makes her way further into the room. Zack is off the couch, heading towards her to help with the gifts. As he takes them from her, she leans up and kisses him softly. “We were packed and two of the girls got caught in the storm.”

“It’s okay, babe.” Zack replies as he places the flowers and balloons down on the table next to the couch. “You’re here now.” 

Tommy makes her way to the other guys, flips her hair out of her face and kisses Jason on the cheek. She turns to Billy with a smile, waiting for his nod before she leans down and presses a small kiss to his cheek, too. “Anything since the last update?” She asks as she starts to dig through her bag. “My phone is MIA again.”

Billy closes off the last box on their game, finalizing his win by writing a blue B in the middle. Jason knew as soon as he counted only 12 boxes with a red J half an hour ago that he was going to lose, but he humored Billy anyways. He sighs loudly as he looks up to Tommy. “Nope.” 

The look on Jason’s face is quite pitiful, but she can’t help the chuckle that escapes as she watches Billy place a hand on his knee causing Jason’s expression to shift into something more relaxed. She shakes her head, giving up on finding her phone in the bottomless pit that is her purse and plops it and herself down next to Zack. “You two have no patience. None.” 

Zack flicks her arm and then places his index finger over her lips. “You, hush!” Tommy is quick to react and grabs his wrist, then directs his arm behind her and around her shoulders. “We’ve been here for 5 hours and you just got here.” He says as he pulls her closer to him. 

She snickers and pulls a polka dotted box from the bag. “Good thing I brought these then?” She shakes the box for emphasis, smirking as three pairs of eyes lock onto the Krispy Kreme logo. 

Before she can even blink, the box is out of her hands and is in Jason’s instead. “You’re an angel.” He whispers as he opens it and hands a glazed doughnut to Billy before grabbing the glazed blueberry cake for himself. He shuts the box, making sure the flap is tucked into the slit to keep it closed before tossing it over to Zack.

Zack catches it effortlessly and opens it to find a cinnamon sugar, a maple iced glazed, a strawberry iced with sprinkles, and a glazed cruller left. Zack’s, Tommy’s, Kimberly’s, and Trini’s choice doughnuts respectively. He grins, kisses Tommy’s cheek and then brings the sweet treat to his mouth. “I knew there was a reason that you’re my favorite.”

“Careful, don’t let Trini hear you say that.” She suggests as she rests her head on Zack’s shoulder and reaches for the box taking her doughnut out before putting back in her bag. 

He swallows the bite he’s taken. “Please, Crazy Girl doesn’t scare me.” Jason and Tommy share a look before they both break out in uncontrollable laughter. Zack only rolls his eyes. 

“Mhmm, sure.” Billy says with a small smile before pulling off another piece of his doughnut and popping it into his mouth. 

Tommy wipes the tears of mirth from her eyes and looks at Zack. “Yeah, what he said.”

Suddenly, the air is filled with the sound of familiar pings and there’s a shuffle for phones. Billy is the first to shout. “She’s here!”

He turns to Jason with a cheesy smile and Jason looks up from his phone. “She’s here.” 

There’s a gasp as Tommy pulls her lost phone from her bag. Kimberly’s message appears on the cracked screen.

**_Both of my girls are doing good,  
be right out to bring you back._ **

Tommy jumps out of her seat and grabs both of Zack’s hands pulling him up with her. They both bounce in a circle, fingers intertwining. “She’s here, she’s here, she’s here!” They chant simultaneously.

The door of the waiting room is opening again and Kimberly walks in with the biggest smile on her face. “Would you like to meet our daughter?” 

Billy happily claps his hands, making his way towards the door. “Yes!”

Jason is at his side a second later. “Of course.” 

“Definitely!” Zack shouts as he leans down to grab the balloons and roses. 

Tommy reaches for his free hand as they fall in line behind Jason and Billy. “Looks like I made it just in time.” She puts her bag on her shoulder and gestures towards the hall. “Lead the way, Kim.” 

There’s a buzz of excitement circulating the air around them as they walk towards Trini’s room.

Once Kimberly slides the curtain back, the group sees Trini holding her newborn who is wrapped in a hospital receiving blanket with a blue and pink striped hat snuggly on her head. The baby’s eyes are closed and one of her tiny hands is resting upon her cheek. Trini is staring down at her with pure adoration and only looks up when she hears the sound of Tommy sighing in awe. At that, the group walks closer and she smiles at them.

“These are for you, mama.” Zack says sweetly as he places the vase of roses and the balloon bouquet down on the rolling tray table near the bed. 

Trini has been smiling for the last hour, overwhelmed but excited about the fact that her daughter was here. Her flushed cheeks turn a shade darker the second that her badass best friend calls her _mama_. Trini sits up, careful not to disturb the sleeping girl in her arms, and slides her legs off of the bed. “You shouldn’t have.” She replies softly shaking her head. 

Kimberly scoots her way towards Trini and sits down next to her. After brushing a few loose strands of hair from Trini’s face, she wraps an arm tightly around her waist and turns back to their friends. “We’d like to introduce you to Mackenzie Rae.”

Tommy steps forward and holds Trini’s free hand. “Hello, Mackenzie Rae.” 

“She’s absolutely beautiful.” Jason says as he walks up and leans down to kiss Trini’s forehead and then Kimberly’s cheek. He reaches for Billy’s hand and squeezes it gently as he pulls him towards them. 

The smile on his face lights up the entire room. “Welcome to the world, little one.”

They all look at Zack who hasn’t made a peep since putting down the gifts. He smiles and shakes his head as he moves towards the bed. “Hi, Mack.” He starts as he places a hand on the blanket wrapped around Mackenzie. “It’s your Uncle Zack. I’m so happy to finally meet you.” 

“Oh, you can’t be serious.” Trini groans in disbelief. The group looks at her with confused faces and she rolls her eyes. “She’s an hour old and he’s already given her a nickname.” 

Jason chuckles. “It seems fitting, we had known you for less than an hour before he started calling you Crazy Girl.” 

“I think it’s cute.” Kimberly offers and then shoots a wink in Zack’s direction. If he hadn’t have pointed to Trini and told them to bring the crazy girl before he jumped after Billy all those years ago, they probably wouldn’t be here right now.

Zack grins. “Zack. Mack. It’s like it’s meant to be!” Tommy shoves her elbow into his side and Trini can’t hold back her laughter. 

“Can I hold her, Trin?” Tommy asks with a small smile.

A sudden rush of anxiety hits Trini and her hold on Mackenzie tightens. Motherhood was new for her and so many fears came along with it. One being all the germs of the world and how fragile her newborn daughter was. “I hate to be that mom, but. Um, do you think you can wash your hands first?”

Kimberly feels Trini’s body tense and taps her fingers rapidly against Trini’s waist, reminding her that she’s there and that everything is okay. With her other hand, she grips her chin and nudges her head so she’s facing her. “Asking them to wash their hands is perfectly reasonable, babe.” 

“Okay.” She responds quietly, a red tinge overtaking her cheeks again.

“Kimberly’s right, T. Don’t even fret.” Tommy says as she heads to the sink, washing her hands thoroughly. Zack does the same. Once they’re back at the bed, Trini smiles as she places her daughter into Tommy’s arms gently. 

Makenzie begins to stir awake and Billy watches in amazement, taking in every small detail. The way her lips pucker. The way her eyes open wide. The way her arm shoots up and her fingers wiggle. Kimberly notices the way his hand that’s not in Jason’s is opening and closing and she knows by the look on his face that the gears in his head are turning as he considers possible outcomes of the question he hasn’t asked yet. “Hey Billy.” She whispers as Jason smiles at her. “You can hold her too, okay. It'll all be fine.” 

“Thank you, Kimberly.” He replies and Kimberly nods her head. 

Trini pulls herself from Kimberly’s embrace, suddenly feeling tired from all the affection that is filling the room, and rests her head against the pillow, still facing her friends. She smiles when Kimberly starts to rub soothing circles onto her bare back that’s exposed by the hospital gown.

Tommy places a thumb in Mackenzie’s hand and the small girl coos softly as her tiny fingers wrap around Tommy’s finger. “Oh, she’s so precious.” She exclaims. 

Trini’s eyelids are heavy, but she’s trying hard to keep them open. 

Zack softly brushes one of the newborn’s cheeks with his knuckle and looks to Kimberly. “She totally got these cheeks from Trini.” 

Trini doesn’t have it in her to respond. Kimberly smirks and raises a finger to her mouth, signaling for Zack to be quiet. 

Trini is still fighting to stay awake when she hears Tommy ask Billy if he wants his turn. Over the sound of running water, she hears Billy tell Jason that he’s excited to be an uncle. She hears Jason agree with him. She hears Kimberly thank them for being there.

But, it’s when she hears Zack tell Kimberly, “you’re our family, we wouldn’t have missed this for the world,” that Trini finally lets herself drift off to sleep.

She’s positive that this is scarier than the day she found out that she was a Power Ranger, but that life is behind them now.

Now, her and Kimberly are parents. Zack and Tommy are newly married. Jason and Billy have moved in together.

This. _This_ is the start of a whole new journey for them. One they’re more than ready to embark on together because they have each other. Because they are a family.


	2. Making Plans

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My first fic, loving you made my dreams come true, would fit perfectly between the first chapter and this one. You can read it here: http://archiveofourown.org/works/12037743 .
> 
> Also, thank you so much for the feedback on Chapter 1. I hope you enjoy this one, too!

“Don’t get me wrong, I don’t need a break from Mackenzie.” Kimberly says and takes a drink from the bottle of beer she’s holding. “I just really want to take Trini out for her birthday.” 

Jason raises a brow, turning to look at Kimberly beside him. “And Trini says no?” 

Kimberly nods, scrunching her lips. “My guess is that she’s not ready to leave Mackenzie’s side.” She rests her chin on her palm and leans her elbow on the table. “Which is understandable, but it’s been four months.”

“You think she’s scared?” Tommy asks from the opposite booth. 

“That’s a part of it, probably. I mean I have my own hesitations, but this is Trini we’re talking about.” The fingers of Kimberly’s free hand are wrapped around her wrist now, wringing the skin underneath. “I feel like it’s a trust thing. It would be the first time we leave Mackenzie in someone else’s care.”

Zack looks up from the calculator he was focused on and smirks. “But she trusts us, right? I can get off early and watch Mack.”

“And I’m off by 5, so I can help.” Jason adds. “Making it two people watching her. I’m sure Billy would love to help, but he has night classes.”

“Are you serious?” Kimberly asks. 

Tommy laughs, shaking her head. “Okay, wait. Kimberly, you literally just said this was a trust thing.” She uses both of her index fingers to point at her husband beside her and their best friend in front of her. “You think mama bear Trini is going to let these two be the first ones to watch Mackenzie alone? Good luck with that.”

“Hey. I can be trusted, okay.” Jason says as he chucks a bottle cap at Tommy. 

Zack flicks the bottle cap back at Jason once it lands on the table. “Me, too. C’mon Kim, think about it. You and Trini can go on a hot date and Jason and I finally get a chance to babysit the princess. It’s a win-win for everyone!”

Kimberly peers up at Tommy while taking the last sip of her beer, silently asking for some kind of final approval. Tommy rolls her eyes playfully. “Make sure to tell Trini I’ll be there for backup. I get off at 6 that day, but I can get to your place in no time.”

“Perfect! So, are we doing this?” Zack asks, rubbing his hands together mischievously. 

Kimberly grins. “Oh, we're so doing this.” She gets up to leave and turns back. “But know that if anything happens to Mackenzie, I won’t be able to stop Trini from attacking.”

\--

Kimberly turns into the nursery with a basket of fresh out of the dryer baby clothes. “I’ll never get over how amazing baby laundry deter-.” She stops talking at the sight of her wife on her knees with her head and arm under the crib. “Um, what are you doing?” 

“Someone thought it would be cute to fling her headband off.” Trini says as she crawls backwards and gets to her feet, facing Kimberly. In her hand is a lace headband with a small sky blue bow. “Okay, it was cute. Retrieving it, not so much.” 

Kimberly hums. “I don’t know. The retrieval was pretty cute to me.”

In an instant, the headband is in the air, flying towards Kimberly. She reaches out to grab it before it makes contact. Trini scoffs as Kimberly drops it into the basket. 

“You’re extra cute when you’re feisty.” Kimberly teases. 

Trini turns, reaching for Mackenzie who’s cooing in the crib. Her bright brown eyes widen with excitement when she sees her mother. Trini sits the girl on her hip, cups her small cheek, and smiles at her. “Your mommy is trying too hard, princess.” She presses a kiss to Mackenzie’s forehead and passes her a teething toy before meeting Kimberly’s gaze. “It means she wants something.” 

Kimberly knew she was caught. She was trying to butter Trini up before she dropped her plans for Trini’s birthday on her, but she was onto her. A blush creeped over her cheeks and she shook her head as she decided to play dumb. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” 

Trini makes her way towards Kimberly, a devious smirk on her face. She reaches into the basket, grips a handful of Mackenzie’s clothes, lifts it slowly until it’s right in front of Kimberly’s face, and then opens her hand so it all falls back into the basket. Her eyes locked on Kimberly’s face the entire time. She then runs her finger down Kimberly’s jaw before tightening her index finger and thumb onto Kimberly’s chin and lifting her head up. “You freakin’ _hate_ folding laundry, you wouldn’t do it voluntarily unless you wanted something, so what is it?” 

“I, uh.” Kimberly’s eyes dart from Trini to the clothes in the basket and then back again. 

The smirk on Trini’s face grows because she knows she has flustered Kimberly. She decides to push just a bit further, wanting the enjoy the look on Kimberly’s face a little longer. Trini bites her bottom lip then seductively whispers. “Tell me what you want, Kimberly.” 

As if on cue, Mackenzie giggles and pulls her mothers out of their trance. 

“ _Ugh_!” Kimberly groans, throwing her head back and Trini starts to laugh as she adjusts the infant on her hip. Kimberly drops the basket on the floor and grabs Trini’s face between her hands. “Trini, we’re going out for your birthday.” She says firmly. “Jason and Zack are all lined up to watch Mackenzie. I need you to myself for one night, okay?” 

“Yeah, that’s not happening.” Trini replies as she pulls away. 

Kimberly starts to plead. “Baby, please. I really want to treat you for your birthday and the guys really want to babysit Mackenzie.” 

“You’re actually entertaining the babysitting idea, Kimberly?” Trini’s eyebrow raises. “That’s kinda scary.” 

Kimberly rolls her eyes. “Trini, it’s only for a few hours.”

“Yes, but we're talking about Zack and Jason here.” She shakes her head at the thought that runs through her mind. “Zack and Jason watching our 4 month old. Alone.”

“Okay, now you’re being dramatic.” 

“I am not, Kimberly.” She says as she shifts Mackenzie to the other hip, bouncing her gently. “She’s not ready to be left alone with those two. We’ll probably come home to our little girl strapped into some homemade contraption. One that I’m positive won’t be safe.” 

Kimberly laughs as she reaches over to ruffle Mackenzie’s hair. “She’s going to be just fine, Trini. Zack and Jason love her as much as we do, they wouldn’t do anything to hurt her. Besides, Tommy is joining them as soon as she’s off.” 

Mackenzie makes grabby hands at Kimberly and Trini smiles as Kimberly tucks her hands under the girl’s arms and lifts her into the air before bringing her down to kiss her cheek. “I don’t know, Kim.” Trini mumbles. 

“You’re just overthinking it, babe.” Kimberly says as she sits Mackenzie on her own hip and then wraps her free arm around her wife’s shoulders, pulling her closer. “It’s dinner and a movie. We’ll be 15 minutes away.” 

They stand in silence for a few moments before Trini sighs. “Okay, fine. But if I come home and find one tiny mark on our daughter’s body, they’re all goners.” 

Kimberly chuckles. “I’ve already warned them.” 

“Good. I’m going for a walk.” Trini wiggles out of Kimberly’s embrace and kisses her softly. She then snaps her fingers and points to the basket of clothes on the floor. “Make sure that’s put away before I get back.” She demands with a wink before kissing her daughter’s forehead and walking out of the room leaving Kimberly flustered again.


	3. Baby Steps

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't plan on updating this until the weekend, but I needed a distraction and turned to this. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy! 
> 
> Also, I mentioned before that I had this pretty much drafted, but this chapter came out of nowhere. So, I'm open to ideas and suggestions.

“You know we have a perfectly good living room out there, right?” Trini asks as she walks into the nursery with Mackenzie in her arms and Kimberly at her side. “One that, I don’t know, actually has enough space for all of us.”

Their four best friends are sitting on the floor of the nursery. Tommy sits up from where she was leaning back on her hands and extends her arms forward. “Trini, shut up and hand me my girl.” 

At the sound of Tommy’s voice, Mackenzie squeals and starts to squirm. Trini shakes her head as she lowers her daughter into Tommy’s arms before taking a seat next to Kimberly. Zack leans towards Mackenzie and kisses her cheek, but the second his eyes land on the words written on her charcoal onesie, he laughs obnoxiously as Tommy covers her mouth. 

Kimberly smirks, knowing what’s coming and Trini is already facepalming. Jason and Billy look on, confused, until Zack speaks. “It actually says _if you think I’m short you should see my mom_.” Billy shakes his head holding back a laugh while Jason practically chokes on air. 

“No way!” Jason says as he reaches for Mackenzie. Once Tommy passes her over to him, he stands her in front of him to read her onesie. Sure enough, in a cute calligraphy font, the words Zack said are sprawled across Mackenzie’s chest. “Oh, shit.”

Kimberly snorts. “That’s exactly what I said when we picked her up. Apparently, Daniel and Diego picked it out.” Everyone is laughing again as Jason bounces Mackenzie who’s cooing. 

Trini narrows her eyes and crosses her arms. “Oh, shove off!” She groans, holding back the words she actually wants to say knowing that her daughter is a sponge, especially now that she’s talking more. “Are we going to discuss Jason’s birthday or not? Because if all you’re going do is sit here and make short jokes, I’m going to take a nap.”

“C’mere baby, I’m sorry.” Kimberly says as she pulls Trini into her lap and kisses her softly. Trini rolls her eyes and settles as she wraps her arms around Kimberly’s neck. 

Billy turns to Trini and Kimberly with a small smile. “Do you think we can have the cookout here? You guys have the biggest backyard and that new patio set from Kim’s parents. I mean we could do it at our place, but we’d have to eat on the couches. And I’d ask Zack and Tommy, but they're still living out of boxes and I don’t want to-.”

“Billy.” Trini says calmly, as she hovers a hand over his knee waiting for his nod. Once he gives her silent permission, she squeezes it gently to reassure him. “Of course we can have it here. Besides, you know Kimberly wouldn’t be able to resist a chance to host a party.” 

Jason gently lays Mackenzie on her stomach and she’s instantly on her hands and knees and heading towards Zack who’s shaking her toy keys to get her attention. “I told you they’d be fine with it, Billy.” Jason says softly as he kisses his cheek. 

“Yeah, yeah. You did.” He nods. Zack tosses the keys in his direction and he catches them with ease then calls for Mackenzie. “Over here, pretty girl.”

They all watch in awe as Mackenzie stops crawling and searches for the noise. As soon as she spots the colorful toy, she giggles and quickly crawls towards Billy. “Key. Key.” 

“Tommy, catch.” Billy says as he tosses the toy keys her way. 

Mackenzie stops again, this time sitting back on her calves and searches for her toy again and since Tommy isn’t shaking them, she just keeps turning her head back and forth. “Key?” She asks, her voice small and sad. 

Trini sighs. “Tommy, don’t make me kick your ass!” 

“Tom, you know I can’t stop her once she goes all mama bear.” Kimberly teases as she squeezes Trini’s waist and presses a soft kiss to her neck. 

Trini shoves her away playfully. “Damn straight. Now give my baby her keys.” 

Zack laughs as he snatches the keys away from Tommy and starts to shake them. “I’ll kick your ass too if you don’t stop messing with my favorite girl.” Mackenzie is on the go again.

“And here I thought I was your favorite girl.” Tommy holds a hand over her heart and then moves towards Jason. “Love me!” She whines as she lays her head on Jason’s shoulder. 

“Hey! Get off my man.” Billy smirks. "I’m not afraid to kick your ass, either." The entire group breaks into a laughing fit, including Tommy. 

Zack lifts Mackenzie in the air and she’s giggling away, too. “Need some ice for that burn, baby?” He quips as Tommy makes her way back to his side. She just rolls her eyes and lays her head in his lap.

“So, about this cookout. What do you need us to bring, Billy?” Tommy asks as Zack sits Mackenzie down next to them and passes her the keys to play with. 

“Oh, nothing. I’ve got it covered. Just bring yourselves.” Billy smiles. “Oh, but Kim, do you think you can make the cake?”

“Cake.” Mackenzie mumbles from the activity table she’s used to stand up.

Kimberly ruffles her hair with a chuckle. “Sure, Billy.” 

“Well we can’t not bring anything, so Zack and I will bring the booze.” 

There’s a giggle from Mackenzie as she spins the ball filled with beads attached to the table. “Boo. Boo!” All eyes are on her now. 

“Of course!” Trini groans.

Zack laughs as he reaches to pinch the girl’s cheek. “You’re gonna give your mama a heart attack, Mack.” 

Suddenly, there’s a collective gasp as Mackenzie takes two wobbly steps towards Zack. The sound causes her to stop and look around, still on her feet. Tommy sits up and grabs onto Zack's thigh.

Trini reaches for Kimberly’s hand and squeezes it. “Kim, Kimberly!” She whispers, not wanting to startle their daughter. 

“I saw, babe, I saw.” Kimberly replies as she rests her chin on Trini’s shoulder. “Her first steps!” 

Trini adjusts herself so she’s sitting between Kimberly’s legs and not on her lap. “Come to mama, princess.” Trini says, patting the floor in front of her. “Come on, you can do it.” 

Mackenzie smiles and takes four more steps, her arms flailing, and then falls into Trini’s arms giggling.

Billy claps his hands and turns to Jason. “She’s walking!” Jason nods with a smile.

Kimberly kisses Mackenzie’s forehead before whispering into Trini’s ear. “Try again.” 

Trini turns Mackenzie and stands her up, holding her waist. “Go to Uncle Jason, Mack.” Jason extends his arms and Trini let’s go slowly. 

“Come on, Mackenzie.” Billy says from beside him.

Her steps are faster this time as she makes her way to Jason. But before she makes it, she stumbles and falls on her backside with a small huff. 

Kimberly feels Trini tense and reach for Mackenzie, so she grabs her wrist between her fingers. “Give her a sec, baby. She’ll get it.” Trini nods as she sits back against Kimberly.

“C’mon Mack, c’mere.” Jason says, encouraging the girl. Mackenzie leans forward onto her hands and straightens her legs, her feet flat. 

“There you go, pretty girl.” Billy whispers reaching out his arms just in case. 

Mackenzie finds her balance and stands. Trini bites her lip, patting Kimberly’s knee with her hand excitedly.

Mackenzie takes three more steps before Jason brings her to his chest to hug her and kiss her cheek. Beside him, Billy is clapping. “Good job, princess!” 

Once Jason puts her back on her feet, she starts clapping too as she giggles and heads towards Tommy, this time making it without falling. 

“She's walking, Kim.” Trini is looking back at Kimberly with watery eyes. “Our baby girl is walking!”

Kimberly wraps her arms around Trini’s waist tightly and they watch together as Zack lifts Mackenzie to blow raspberries on her stomach before putting her down and turning her to face her mothers. “Go get 'em, Mack.” He says with a smile as he lets go of his hold on the girl. 

Tommy and Zack hold hands and Billy rests his head on Jason’s shoulder as they watch the youngest member of their little family take baby steps towards her parents.

They watch as Trini wipes a tear that escapes away before she wraps her arms around her daughter and kisses her forehead and cheeks. 

They watch as Kimberly wraps her arms around both of her girls and brings them close, pressing a kiss to Trini’s hair. 

They watch as Mackenzie looks up at Trini and Kimberly with big, brown eyes and smiles brightly. And it’s in that moment that both couples realize that one day they want children of their own.


	4. Love & Laughter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really wanted Mackenzie to be more engaging, so I skipped a couple of years.
> 
> Enjoy! :)

“Remind me again how you let Kimberly talk you into letting our girl become a cheerleader.” 

Trini laughs as she turns to Zack sitting next to her in the viewing room of the gym. “I’m not sure gymnastics counts as cheerleading. Besides, look at Mack, she loves it.”

Mackenzie is clad in a bubblegum pink leotard with silver accents. Kimberly insists that their daughter picked it out all on her own, but since it resembles a certain piece of machinery from their past, Trini has her doubts.

The duo watches on as Mackenzie stands confidently with her hands on her hips, before tightening her ponytail and gripping onto the bar. With a small bounce, she lifts her body up and swings herself over the bar. She lets go and lands on her feet with her arms up, then flicks both of her wrists before turning to look at Trini and Zack through the window with a cheesy grin. She waves before running to the next station to practice her forward rolls. 

“I see what you mean. That was pretty cool for a three year old.” Zack says as he nudges Trini’s shoulder.

“Exactly.” Her heart melts as she watches Mackenzie who’s moved onto the next station and is now walking across a balance beam with ease, a toothy smile plastered on her face. “How could I say no? She’s like a mini-Kim out there.”

Twenty minutes later, Mackenzie makes her way through the door of the viewing room and jumps into Zack’s arms. “Uncle Zack, did you see me? Did you see me doing jimmy-nastics?”

Zack chuckles at the way the girl said gymnastics and presses a kiss to her cheek before putting her back down. “I saw you, pretty girl. You did so good!”

“I got a sticker, mama.” Mackenzie turns to Trini and holds up her hand. “See!”

Trini smiles and high-fives her daughter. “That’s great, Mack!” She then reaches to hold Mackenzie’s hand. “Let’s go get your shoes and jacket, Aunt Tommy is waiting for us.” 

\--

“ _Twinkle, twinkle little star. Like a diamond in the sky._ ”

Tommy rests her head on Trini’s shoulder. “She’s too cute!”

“Aunt Tommy.” Mackenzie says sweetly, as she walks up to Tommy who sits back up. The girl tilts her head to the side and puts a hand on her hip. “Now, which song should I sing?”

Tommy is looking at the toddler adoringly. A smile has been on her face for the last fifteen minutes as they listened to Mackenzie sing slightly off key. She goes to answer, but the girl doesn’t give her a chance. 

“Mary Had a Little Lamb?” She says as she shrugs her shoulder with a small grin.

Zack chuckles from beside Tommy as she answers. “Sure, Mack.” 

Mackenzie starts to bounce around as she sings. “ _Mary had a little lamb._ ” She begins to wave her hands in the air. “ _Mary had. A. Little. Lamb._ ” She turns back to Zack and Tommy nodding her head from side to side. “ _Mary had a little lamb. Mary had a little lamb!_ ” 

Full on laughter is coming from Zack now. “Is that all you know?”

Mackenzie stops moving and smiles big. “Uh huh.” 

Trini laughs from the opposite side of Tommy as she shakes her head. “We’re working on it.” 

The girl is spinning around now, twirling her ponytail. “ _Mary had a little lamb, where Mary went. Where Mary went._ ” She stops again as she prepares for a big finish. She bends down then shoots back up quickly, lifting up on her tippy-toes with her right arm high in the air. “ _Where Maaaary weeeent!_ ” She wiggles her hand at the last word. 

The three adults on the couch are all laughing now, covering their mouths. “Oh my god.” Zack mumbles quietly between laughs. 

“Yay!” Mackenzie starts wiggling her backside and waving her arms carelessly. “I did it!” 

Trini is wiping away tears of mirth when she hears Zack whisper to Tommy. “Sometimes I love that little girl so much it hurts.” She feels her heart skip a beat at the confession. 

On the day Kimberly and Trini shared the news that they were expecting, they were prepared for excitement and support from their best friends. What they weren’t prepared for was the tears that Zack shed. 

_“Zack, are you okay?”_

_“Yeah, I’m fine. It’s just that after losing my mom, I thought my family would keep getting smaller, but a baby? A baby means our family is growing. I think a baby will be good for us.”_

And Mackenzie was good for them. 

\--

Zack is sitting with his back against the headboard of the bed in his and Tommy’s guest room with Mackenzie tucked into his side. " _I love you right up to the moon and back._ " Once he closes the book in his hand, he looks down at the girl who is now fast asleep. “Sleep tight, princess.” He says softly as he kisses Mackenzie’s forehead and covers her with the blanket before sliding out of the bed. 

He makes his way to Trini who’s helping Tommy with the dishes and wraps an arm around her shoulders. “She’s sleeping.”

Trini smiles and presses a small kiss to his cheek. “Thanks again for letting us crash here for a few days. I know it’s stupid, but it’s still hard for me to sleep when Kimberly isn’t home.” 

“T, it’s not stupid.” Tommy shuts off the tap and turns to Trini. “We get it and we’re here for you, okay.” 

Zack nods in agreement and presses a kiss to the top of Trini’s head. “She’s right, Trin. You don’t have to thank us, our home is your home.”

Trini giggles as she playfully rolls her eyes. “You guys are such saps!” 

“You love it.” Tommy says with a grin. 

Trini places the last plate in the dishwasher. “That I do.” 

\--

Trini stirs awake when she feels small hands shaking her shoulder. “Mack?” She mumbles. “What’s the matter, baby?” She quickly lifts her phone to check the time. 2:19 AM. 

“Mama, I don’t feel so good.” Mackenzie says, her voice still thick with sleep. 

The room is filled with dim light as Trini reaches behind her to turn on the side lamp. She instantly notices her daughter’s flushed cheeks and the tiny beads of sweat along her hairline. She places the palm of her hand on Mackenzie’s forehead and gasps lightly. “You’re burning up, sweetheart. C’mere.” 

The girl climbs into her mother’s arms and Trini gets to her feet, walking to the bedroom across the hall. She sits on the bed at Zack’s side and softly grips his bicep. “Zack.” 

“I want Mommy.” Mackenzie whines and Trini tucks a lock of hair behind her ear.

“Shh. I know baby, me too. It’s okay.” Trini turns back to her sleeping best friend. “Zack, wake up.” 

Tommy sits up, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. “Trini? What’s wrong?”

“It’s Mack, she’s running a fever.” Trini runs her hand through her hair, pulling Mack closer to her with the other. “I didn’t bring anything.” 

“Do you need me to take you home?” Tommy asks, slightly unsure of what to do. 

Trini shakes her head. “No, it’s too cold.” 

Mackenzie pushes her hair out of her face. “No, I’m hot, mama.”

“I know, baby, I know.” Trini says with a small chuckle. “Do you think Zack can go grab the medicine for me while I get her in the bath?”

“Of course, yeah. I’ll wake him. You go, I’ll be right there to help.” 

“Thank you.” Trini whispers before making her way to the bathroom.

\--

_Are you sure, babe? I can get on the next flight home._

_Kim. That entire conference would fall apart without you there. We’re fine, really._

_Okay, Trin. Are you still gonna stay with Zack and Tommy?_

_I think so, Mackenzie wasn’t too thrilled with the idea of going home._

_And you’re sure your mom can get her seen tomorrow?_

_Yeah, we’re going as soon as they open. I’m almost positive that it’s an ear infection. That’s what Mack says hurts her and she keeps pulling at it._

_My poor baby. I’m so sorry I’m not there, Trini._

_Don’t be sorry, Kimberly. It’s okay. We’ll see you on Sunday._

_Okay, babe. Keep me updated?_

_Yeah, of course. I’m gonna go check on her. I’ll talk to you soon, okay? I love you._

_I love you, too. Give our girl a hug and kiss for me._

_I will. Bye, baby._

_Bye._

Trini walks back into the guest room to find Mackenzie asleep in Zack’s arms. Tommy is at his side with her head on his chest. She looks up at Trini with tired eyes. “They’re both out. We should get some sleep, too.” 

“Can I sleep in your arms?” Trini asks, suddenly feeling exhausted. 

Tommy laughs softly as she extends her arms. “Come here, love.”

Trini kicks off her slippers and crawls towards Tommy, stopping only to kiss Mackenzie’s cheek. “I don’t know what I’d do without you guys.” She whispers as she curls into Tommy’s embrace.

“I tell myself the same thing.” Tommy replies as she kisses Trini’s forehead.

They both lie there in silence, waiting for sleep to catch up with them.

Trini can’t help but think back to the words Zack had whispered earlier. _Sometimes I love that little girl so much it hurts._ She smiles because she knows the feeling. She looks up at her sleeping daughter one more time before she closes her eyes and goes to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the many scene jumps in this chapter. I struggled a bit, in that I knew what I wanted to happen but didn't exactly know how to get there. I hope they weren't too distracting. 
> 
> Also, your comments/kudos mean a lot. I'm so glad you guys are enjoying the story so far!


	5. New Room

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, life threw a few curveballs my way this week, causing a delay in this update.
> 
> I struggled a bit with this chapter (and it still feels a little lackluster), but I hope you enjoy!

“I'm trying to have a serious conversation with you.” 

Kimberly pouts as she pulls Trini closer to her and kisses her softly. “Baby. It’s my first Saturday off in weeks, can we please not do this right now.” She leans forward to close the distance between them again.

“ _Kim._ ” Trini whines, pulling away before Kimberly can kiss her again. “Mackenzie’s birthday is on Thursday and we’re nowhere near done with her new room.” 

There’s a look of disappointment taking over Kimberly’s face and Trini smiles mischievously before she sits up and straddles her wife’s hips. “You can’t suck up to me now, the moment is gone, Trini.”

“Are you sure?” Trini asks, purposefully lowering her voice. 

Kimberly sits up, snaking an arm behind Trini and pulling her closer. Trini adjusts herself so her legs are wrapped around Kimberly’s waist and crosses her ankles. “We’re gonna play let’s make a deal, aren’t we?”

“Oh, babe.” Trini smirks as she runs a finger from Kimberly’s cheek down to her jaw, before pressing it to her chest. “You’re so smart.” 

“And you’re a smartass.” Kimberly quips, lowering her hands to grab Trini’s backside and pulls her up towards herself.

Trini laughs as she falls forward and Kimberly is quick to capture her lips, leaning back so they’re both lying down. Once they break apart, Trini huffs and turns away from Kimberly again. “Well that was counterproductive.”

Kimberly sighs and starts to run her hand through Trini’s hair. “Okay, baby. Let's hear it.”

“I'm sorry, what was that?” Trini replies, raising an eyebrow. 

“The deal, Trini .” Kimberly says. “Let's hear it.” 

“Oh, now you want to be serious?” Trini leans closer to Kimberly, nuzzling her neck. “Now you want to listen?” She starts to pepper small, teasing kisses to Kimberly’s skin. “Now you want to hear what I have to say?” Trini bites down, then soothes the pain with another kiss. 

Kimberly whimpers, softly running her hand up Trini’s side causing her sleep shirt to ride up. She feels Trini’s smirk on her neck, but still isn’t prepared for when Trini pushes down on her chest for leverage and then gets up and off of the bed. “ _Trini?_ ”

“The moment is gone, Kimberly.” Trini teases from the doorway of their bathroom, before pulling off her sleep shirt, exposing herself completely, and dropping it to the floor with another smirk. 

“Fuck.” Kimberly mutters as Trini shuts the door. 

\-- 

“Tommy, why is she in there!” 

“I tried stopping her.” Tommy says with a laugh as she pushes the red shopping cart down the aisle to where Kimberly is standing. “But she’s my baby girl and you know I can’t deny her.”

Kimberly groans as she crosses her arms. “I thought we left the children at home.” 

“We did.” Trini quips from where she’s sitting inside the cart, eating a pretzel. She pulls off a piece and holds it out for Kimberly. “Do you want some, babe?” She asks sweetly.

Kimberly rolls her eyes as she takes the pretzel piece from Trini and pops it in her mouth. “Now, can you get out, please? We need to get home.”

“Come on, Little Bit.” Tommy grins as she leans into the cart and steals a bite of Trini’s pretzel. “I’ll help you out.” 

Trini sighs and reaches out a hand to Tommy. “You guys never let me have any fun.” 

Once Trini’s feet are on the ground, Kimberly smirks. “We can play later, baby.” She whispers as she kisses her cheek.

“Okay, gross.” Tommy groans, playfully shoving Kimberly’s shoulder.

Trini laughs as she wraps an arm around Tommy’s waist from the side. “You’re such a dork.” She shifts her attention to the various sets of bedding on the shelves. “So which one did Mackenzie want again?” 

“That gray one with the gold stars.” Tommy replies with a smile. “So much for your pink and yellow idea, huh?” 

Kimberly shoots Tommy a glare. “Oh, please. I’ll make this work with pink and yellow if it’s the last thing I do.” She says as she tosses the bedding set into the cart. 

“I’m sure you can, babe.” Trini teases as she pulls off another piece of pretzel and feeds it to Tommy before getting a bite for herself. 

\--

Mackenzie giggles as she picks up a card with a 7 on it and sticks her tongue out at Jason. “Thank you very much.” She turns to Billy with a smile. “Your turn, Uncle Billy.”

“Okay, let’s see.” Billy glances down at the cards in his hand, considering them carefully, before looking up at Zack. “Do you have any 4’s?”

Zack groans as he plucks the two 4 cards from his hand and drops them on the table in front of Billy. “Seriously?” He mumbles.

“I win!” Billy proclaims and grins as he drops his two 4 cards on top of Zack’s. 

“No way! You cheated.” Zack complains as he looks at the pile of cards on the table before adding the rest of the cards in his hand to it. 

“Noooo!” Mackenzie giggles as she leans her head against Zack’s arm. “Uncle Billy doesn’t cheat, he’s just really smart.”

Jason shakes his head, holding back a laugh, and reaches across the table to pinch the girl’s cheek. “Just like you, little Mack.” 

“I’m not little, Uncle Jason.” Mackenzie shoos his hand away. “Can we go chalk now?”

“We gotta put these away first.” Zack says as he ruffles her hair and hands her the empty box.

Mackenzie quickly collects all of the scattered cards and fits them inside of the box. She puts it back on the table before standing and running towards the back door. “Last one out is a stinky sock!” She calls over her shoulder. 

The three laugh as they stand to follow the girl. “Why does she say it like that?” Jason asks. 

“Because Tommy once told her that Zack’s socks smell worse than rotten eggs.” Billy replies with a small smile. “And she believed her.” 

Zack scoffs. “Everyone is trying to turn that kid against me, it’s not fair.” 

Jason nudges his shoulder. “Please! That little girl loves you more than any of us.” 

“He’s right, you know.” Billy chimes in. 

Once they’re on the back porch, Mackenzie runs up to Zack and holds up two brand new pieces of crayon shaped chalk. “I saved us the bestest ones, Uncle Zack.”

Zack turns back to Jason and Billy who are shaking their heads with smiles on their faces. “Okay, point taken.” He chuckles and bends down to kiss the top of Mackenzie’s head. 

\-- 

Zack eyes widen as he walks into what used to be Trini and Kimberly’s guest room. “Wow, you guys really painted the walls pink?”

Trini laughs as Tommy hands her another bolt for Mackenzie’s new bed. “It’s one wall, Zack.”

“Besides, it’s not like it's Power Ranger pink, babe.” Tommy finishes with a smile. 

“Yeah, okay.” Zack sits besides Tommy and presses a kiss to her cheek. “So what did you need help with?”

“Oh, nothing. I just wanted to see your beautiful face.” Tommy replies with a smirk as she softly kisses Zack. 

Trini rolls her eyes as she finishes tightening the bolt. “And you had the nerve to call Kimberly and I gross.”

“That’s because you and Kim are gross.” Zack laughs as he pulls Tommy into his lap and points to the half-finished bed. “Do you remember when we set up Trini’s bed at your place?”

Trini gasps, turning back quickly to Zack and Tommy. “Oh, we are so not talking about that!”

Tommy chuckles as she recalls the memory. “Dad yelled at us for hours about the Trini-sized hole in the wall.”

“You two didn’t have to pick the tallest fucking bed in the entire store.”

Zack bites his lip to stop himself from laughing. “Okay, one, it wasn’t the tallest. You’re just super short.” Trini scowls at him, but he continues. “And two, you wouldn’t have ricocheted off the bed if you hadn’t have jumped on it so hard.”

“I was just trying to get on.” Trini says quietly as she narrows her eyes at the couple.

“You’re so cute, love.” Tommy teases. 

Trini groans. “Will you just help me finish this bed, please. I’m hungry.” 

\-- 

Trini shuts the door to Mackenzie’s new room as Kimberly shuts the door to the new guest room across the hall. Kimberly wraps her arms around Trini’s waist and kisses her softly. “No more redecorating for at least six months, okay baby?” 

“A year.” Trini says with a small smile as she throws her arms around Kimberly’s neck. “I’m sorry I made you work on your day off.” 

“I’m not.” Kimberly smirks as she slides a hand down to Trini’s bottom and squeezes, lifting Trini up slightly. “You’re making it up to me tonight.” She finishes with a wink. 

Trini rolls her eyes playfully and shakes her head before placing a chaste kiss on Kimberly’s cheek. “Mhmm, we’ll see about that.” She reaches for her wife’s hand and guides her towards the dining room. 

“Mommy! Mama!” Mackenzie yells as she runs up to her moms who are now standing by dining room table. “Look, we made enchilalas.” 

Trini chuckles as she leans down to kiss Mackenzie’s forehead. “Enchiladas, baby.” 

“Yeah, enchilalas! And we used monster cheese.” 

“Muenster cheese, silly girl.” Kimberly says with a laugh as she helps Mackenzie into her chair.

Mackenzie kicks her dangling feet as Billy places the baking dish in the center of the table. “Oh, we put sprinkle cheese on top, too!” Mackenzie beams as she points to the dish. 

Zack grins as he takes a seat at the table between Tommy and Mackenzie. “I can see that, pretty girl.”

“We had to stop her from putting cheese on everything.” Jason says as he places the bowls of beans and rice on the table.

“Okay, this all looks really good guys.” Trini chimes in, sending a smile in Billy and Jason’s direction. “Did you have trouble with any of the recipes?” 

“Nope!” Billy says proudly. “Well, okay the beans were kind of difficult, but I think they came out okay. You’ll have to let me know.” 

“Oh, I will.” Zack replies nudging Mackenzie’s shoulder.

Mackenzie giggles as she raises her hand. “Me too, Uncle Billy.” 

As everyone serves themselves and begins to enjoy their dinner, Tommy looks around the table.

She admires Trini and Kimberly who are holding hands and eating with only their free ones.

She admires Billy and Jason who are smiling at each other knowing they successfully prepared one of Trini’s family recipes.

She admires her husband who is having an eating competition with Mackenzie who has the biggest smirk on her face because she’s winning. 

She then looks down and places a hand over her stomach. “ _Soon._ ” She thinks. “ _I’ll tell them soon._ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm excited about the next couple of chapters... they're already drafted. Hope to edit and post soon! :)
> 
> Again, your comments and feedback mean so much. Keep them coming! ;)


	6. Baby News

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, look. Another update! 
> 
> I feel like my writing style shifts with my mood/workload and I apologize in advance if it affects the story.
> 
> Hope you enjoy this chapter! :)

Tommy takes a deep breath as she adjusts her grip on the black gift bag in her hand before stepping into the bedroom where Zack is changing out of his work clothes. “How was it?” She asks quietly. 

“Crazy.” He says as he shrugs off his button up. “There was a group of 20 there for a 40th birthday and they wouldn't leave. Dad was ready to just kick them out.”

Tommy bites her lip as she sits next to Zack and kisses his cheek. “Sounds like dad.” She replies simply. 

“Baby, what's wrong?” He asks as he turns and pulls her close, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear. 

She smiles and shakes her head. “Nothing, babe. I promise. But, um. I got you something.” Tommy places the bag in his lap and nods signaling for him to open it. 

“What's the occasion?” He asks, raising a brow. 

The nerves of telling him her news get the best of Tommy and she has to take another breath before smiling at him again. “Just open it, Zack.”

Zack looks at the bag suspiciously before smiling and pulling out the silver tissue paper and placing it beside him. He then reaches into the bag and pulls out a black frame with tiny green hearts painted onto it. Behind the glass sits his favorite photo of his mom. He runs his hand over it slowly.

“I’ve always loved her smile.” Tommy whispers as she fidgets with the hem of her shirt. 

Zack turns to her with a look of confusion on his face. “Tommy, what is this?”

“A photo of your mom, babe.” She answers shyly. 

“I know that, but what's it for?” 

Her eyes water and she smiles again. “It’s for us to hang above the crib.” 

“The crib?” 

Tommy nods her head with a small grin, knowing it hasn’t clicked for him yet. “Mhmm. So your mom could always watch over our baby.”

“Baby?” Zack asks, still a bit in the dark. Tommy watches as the look on his face shifts once realization hits him. “Baby? Tommy! Our baby?!”

Tommy chuckles as she wipes away a couple of tears that rolled down her cheeks and nods her head again. “We’re having a baby, Zack.” 

“We’re having a baby?!” Zack shouts as he sets the photo on the bed before getting to his feet and pulling Tommy up to him, hugging her tightly. “A baby!” He lifts Tommy off her feet and she laughs as she wraps her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. Zack kisses her deeply and twirls them around before putting Tommy back on the ground. 

“Are you happy?” Tommy asks, smiling up at Zack who is looking down at her with pure adoration.

Tears fill his eyes as he nods and leans down to kiss her again. “I haven’t been this happy since our wedding day, baby.” He whispers. “You’re going to be a mom, my love. Are you happy?”

Tommy steps closer to Zack and wraps her arms around his waist before resting her head on his chest. “I’m happy, Zack. I’m so happy. I can’t wait for us to be parents.”

\--

“It’s been awhile since we’ve done this.” Billy says contently from his lawn chair in front of the fire pit in Zack and Tommy’s backyard. “I miss it.” 

Jason smiles, reaching for Billy’s hand. “We need to do it more often.” 

“We’re in.” Trini adds from where she’s sitting on Kimberly’s lap while she nods in agreement.

Zack grins. “Well that sounds like a plan.” He looks to Tommy who’s smiling. 

She shakes her head playfully as the rest of the group looks to her. “How can I say no to you dorks.” She finishes with a laugh. 

The group settles as they start catching each other up and enjoy the warmth of the fire. As day shifts to night, Zack heads inside and returns with a case of cold beers. He shoots Tommy a wink before passing them out one by one. 

“You waited until now to bring these out?” Jason says with a raised brow.

Zack chuckles lightly as he rubs the back of his neck. “They, uh, weren’t cold yet.” 

Trini takes note of the stumble in his voice and sits up a bit in Kimberly’s lap. “What’s with him?” She whispers in her ear. 

Kimberly shrugs. “Not sure.” She whispers back. “But it’s something, look at Tommy’s hands.”

Trini looks over and sees Tommy’s fingers fidgeting. She looks up to meet her gaze with worried eyes and Tommy smiles before mouthing “ _Stop, I’m okay_.” 

Trini nods and Kimberly tightens her grip around her waist before kissing Trini’s temple. 

“Ew.” Zack says with a smirk as he holds out two beers.

Kimberly rolls her eyes as she grabs both bottles and kisses Trini again for emphasis.

He grins as he makes his way back to Tommy and kisses her. He then pulls the last bottle from the case and holds it out to Tommy. “For you, my love.” Zack says a little louder than necessary. 

Tommy quickly matches his grin and looks around, noticing all eyes on her again. “No, thanks. I’m good with this.” She replies as she reaches for the bottle of water hidden under her chair. 

“Seriously, Tom?” Kimberly asks with a frown. “Even Billy is drinking.” 

Billy laughs as he brings the bottle up and takes a drink. 

“I can’t.” She replies with a smile. Zack reaches out to grab her hand and squeezes it. 

“Aw c’mon, babe.” Trini says as she adjusts herself and tips her bottle. “Don’t be a party pooper. Have a drink with your family!” 

Tommy smiles again and shakes her head. “I really can’t.” She opens the bottle of water and takes a long drink before smirking and looking back up at the group. “It’s not good for the baby.” 

Trini gasps and looks at Kimberly once before jumping out of her lap and rushing towards Tommy. “You’re pregnant?!” 

“I’m pregnant.” Tommy replies with a chuckle. 

Trini wraps her arms around Tommy, hugging her tightly as tears fill her eyes. “Oh, I’m so excited for you! You’re going to be a mommy.” She pulls back and puts her hands on Tommy’s shoulders as her eyes widen. “I’m gonna be an aunt.” She says quietly then looks back to her wife. “We’re going to be aunts!” 

Jason and Billy walk towards Zack and both hug him. “I hope the world’s ready for a tiny Tommy.” Jason says with a smirk.

“What if it’s a tiny Zack?” Billy asks with a smirk of his own. 

Kimberly laughs as she kisses Zack’s cheek. “If the world could handle our tiny Trini, I’m sure it could handle a tiny Zack.” She pulls him into a side hug as she winks at Trini who rolls her eyes.

Zack reaches over to pull Tommy to his other side with Trini still attached to her. Trini wraps an arm around Jason’s waist and pulls him towards her while Kimberly uses her hand to signal for Billy to come closer, he places a hand on her back. Jason closes off the circle by wrapping an arm around Billy’s shoulders.

They stand there together, smiling at each other in silence as the news fully sinks in. 

Zack is the first to speak. “Our family is growing again.”

\--

“But how did you get a baby inside of your tummy, Aunt Tommy?”

Tommy hesitates as she looks from Mackenzie who’s sitting in Zack’s lap to Trini and Kimberly who are sitting on the love seat across from them and then back again. “Well, um.” 

“That’s a question you have to ask your moms, princess.” Zack interrupts as he taps Mackenzie’s nose playfully. “But later, okay?” 

“Okay, Uncle Zack.” Mackenzie replies with a smile. “Can I see the picture again?” 

As Tommy shows the girl the sonogram again, Trini turns to Kimberly. “How the hell are we supposed to explain that to her?” 

“She’ll forget all about it in like 10 minutes, babe.” Kimberly says as she rests her head on Trini’s shoulder. “Don’t worry about it.” 

Trini glares at her. “Mack doesn’t forget about anything, Kimberly.” She runs a hand through her hair anxiously. “It’s probably going to come up at bath time and we’re not prepared.” 

“Baby, relax.” Kimberly says softly, placing a hand on the small of Trini’s back. “Look at her, Trini. Look at the excitement in her eyes. Listen to her, baby.” 

Trini focuses on her daughter who now has a hand on Tommy’s stomach. “An avocado?” She says with a giggle. “That’s so little.”

Tommy laughs. “We know, but the baby will keep growing.” 

“Like me?” Mackenzie asks. 

Zack ruffles her hair with a grin. “Just like you, princess.” 

Trini relaxes against Kimberly’s touch and wraps an arm around her waist. “I’m sorry.” She whispers. 

“You don’t have to be sorry, babe.” Kimberly presses a calming kiss to Trini’s cheek. 

Trini smiles as she nods. “We’ll figure it out.” She says with a sigh before moving closer to her wife. “She’s so excited, I can’t wait for her to meet her baby cousin.” 

“Me neither.” Kimberly replies with a smile.

They both shift their attention back to their daughter and best friends. Mackenzie is bouncing on her feet now, laughing as she tells Tommy and Zack about all the things she wants to do with the baby. Zack is looking at her with a cheesy grin and Tommy is nodding at her every suggestion with a smile. 

Later, at bath time, Mackenzie doesn’t ask about how babies get into tummies. Instead, Trini and Kimberly are faced with an even tougher question. 

“When the baby is here, will Uncle Zack and Aunt Tommy still love me?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like a _dun, dun, dun_ is necessary. ;) 
> 
> As always, thank you SO much for your comments/feedback. I love hearing what you think about the story. 
> 
> The next couple of chapters are fun ones. I'm excited to share (soon)!


	7. Baby Shower

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I bumped the rating on this because of some past scenes and a few that are upcoming, including one in this chapter. 
> 
> These scenes were some of the first ones I wrote when I started this story, so they're a bit more emotional (again, my writing shifts with my mental state). This chapter may actually be my favorite, so I really hope you enjoy!
> 
>  **WARNING:** There's a part that touches on a suicidal past. It's not in your face, but it's implied. Some may even miss it, but I couldn't post this without a warning. I was tempted to leave it out, but I feel that it's an important little backstory that provides insight on two relationships in this story (one that hasn't been brought to light... yet) and it was necessary.
> 
> Again, I hope you enjoy! :)

“Okay, but you looked cute and adorable when you were pregnant with Mackenzie and I...”

Trini rolls her eyes. “Stop it, you look beautiful.” 

“Agreed.” Zack says cheerfully as he walks in balancing trays of finger food with Kimberly following behind him carrying a large cake. “I didn’t think the green and black would work, but this looks amazing.” 

Tommy grins. “Good thing I have an in with Angel Grove’s best event planner, huh?” She says. “Everything is perfect, Kim. Thank you.” 

Kimberly sets the cake down on its stand and turns to face Tommy. “It’s nothing, really. And you do look beautiful. You’re glowing!” 

“Thank you.” Tommy replies with a smile and a blush. “Can I help with anything?”

Trini shakes her head. “Absolutely not! You’re the guest of honor, you are not allowed to lift a finger. My job is to make sure of it.” 

“Hey, that’s my child, too.” Zack says, gesturing towards the trays still on his hands.

Kimberly laughs, as she takes one from him. “You’re the child, Zack.”

He frowns and rolls his eyes, causing Tommy to lean up on her toes and give him a quick kiss. “Aw, babe, don’t be mad. She’ll go easy on you.” 

Trini snorts and high fives Tommy. “Let’s go finish getting you ready.” She says leading her towards the guest room.

“Where’s Mack, T?”

“She spent the night with Jason and Billy. Kimberly started all the baking last night and that child was ready to eat everything in sight.”

“Hmm, sounds about right.” Tommy replies with a smirk.

Trini looks down at her watch. “They should be here soon.”

“I can’t wait to see the little shorty.” 

Trini sighs. “I can’t believe that stuck. She still has lots of time to grow.” 

“She’s going to be the oldest in her class and still the shortest, Trin.” 

“That’s because her birthday is September 2nd. She’s a whole year behind because of one day.”

“That doesn't even make sense, it’s because her mother is barely over five feet tall.” 

Trini holds up the safety pin she was going to use to put on Tommy’s corsage and glares at her. “If you don’t stop, I’m gonna stick you with this seguro.”

“Kimberly will kick your ass.” Tommy quips. 

“Zack will kick your ass if he finds out you're making fun of his favorite girl.”

Tommy winces and looks down to her stomach, bringing her bottom lip between her teeth. Trini notices and gasps, loudly. “No way! I thought you weren’t finding out until the birth.” 

“It was an accident, the ultrasound tech was new and I didn't tell him that we didn’t want to know. Luckily Zack couldn’t make it because he was waiting for a repairman at the restaurant.” 

Trini smiles and places her hands on Tommy’s stomach. “So, you’re having a girl?” 

“ _What?!_ ” Comes a small voice. 

Both women instantly lock eyes with Mackenzie who is standing at the doorway in a green dress with a black bow in the middle. She blinks twice, tears filling her eyes, and then takes off towards her bedroom.

“Crap.” Trini says. “She’s been afraid of that.” 

“Afraid of what?” Tommy asks softly with a confused look on her face.

Trini shakes her head. “Of your baby being a girl. She’s afraid that you and Zack won’t love her anymore, that you’ll forget about her.” 

“That wouldn’t happen, T.” Tommy responds, slowly getting to her feet. “You know that.”

“I know, love.” Trini says as she looks down. “Kimberly and I tried talking to her, but nothing has really helped.”

“I’ll go talk to her, Trini.” 

“Okay.” She nods. “Call me if you need me?”

“Yeah, of course. But I’ve got this.” She stops at the door, turning back to Trini. “I can’t believe you and Kim kept this from us. You know we love that little girl like she’s our own.” 

“I know, I’m sorry.”

Tommy opens the door across the hall to find Mackenzie laying face down on her bed. The sniffles she hears cause her heart to break. She closes the door and the girl turns her head.

“Aunt T-Tommy.” She says quietly as she sits up, crossing her legs. 

“Why are you crying, princess?” Tommy asks as she sits on the bed next to her and runs her hand through the girl’s long locks of hair. 

“It-it’s nothing.” She replies, looking away. 

“Mack. It’s not nothing. You can talk to me, sweetie. What’s the matter?” 

The girl shakes her head, clearly avoiding the question. Tommy knows Mackenzie opens up the same way Trini does. The questions have to be specific, so she tries a different one. “Are you scared because you found out I’m having a girl?”

Mackenzie wipes her tears away with her hands and nods. “You and Uncle Zack a-aren’t going to love me anymore.” 

“Baby, that’s not true.” Tommy pulls the girl’s hands towards her and places her thumbs on her palms. Mackenzie squeezes her small fingers around them and Tommy can’t help but think back to that day she met the girl for the first time. She smiles and looks back up at Mackenzie. “We both love you so much. Nothing will ever, _ever_ change that. You’re our little girl.”

Mackenzie looks down at Tommy’s stomach. “No, she is.” She whimpers. 

“Mack.” Tommy sighs. “Uncle Zack and I are going to love this baby a lot, but that doesn’t mean that we are going to stop loving you. There’s enough room in our hearts for the both of you.” 

Mackenzie looks up to meet Tommy’s eyes. “Really?” 

“Yes, little one.” Tommy moves one of her hands up to the girl’s cheek to wipe away a tear that escaped. “We’re _always_ going to love you, just like your moms, just like Uncle Jason and Uncle Billy. Just like I know you’re going to love our baby.”

“And you w-won’t forget about me?”

“No! No, of course not. Nothing is going to change, Mack. Our family is just growing.”

“You promise?” 

Tommy smiles. “I promise, baby.” 

“Okay.” Mackenzie says simply as she leans up to kiss Tommy on the cheek. 

Tommy turns her face to the other side and points to the opposite cheek. “Another one.” The girl giggles as she kisses the other cheek. “I love you, Mackenzie.” 

“I love you too, Aunt Tommy.” 

“I love you more.”

“I love you the mostest.”

Tommy laughs and kisses Mackenzie’s forehead. “Okay, princess. Let’s get out there, I heard your mommy made lots of yummy treats.” 

Mackenzie grins and jumps off the bed, running towards the door. She stops halfway and turns back, stopping right in front of Tommy and kisses her stomach. “I can’t wait to meet you.” 

Tommy’s heart melts and she reaches for the girl’s hand as they walk out of the bedroom together.

\-- 

Tommy looks down at the gift card in her hand, still in shock by the amount. “Hey, Trini?”

“Yeah?” Trini responds from where she’s putting the last of the baby gifts down in Zack and Tommy’s living room. 

“Your mom hates me, so why did she send a $500 gift card?”

“Tommy, my mom doesn’t hate you.” Trini takes a seat in the chair next to Tommy. “Why do you think that?” 

“Love, I helped you move out of her house when you turned seventeen. My dad gave you a place to live. She barely says hello to me when I’m around. She didn’t even come to the baby shower. I’m pretty sure she hates me.” 

“She doesn’t hate you, Tommy.” Trini sighs before turning to face Tommy and taking her hands in her own, the gift card falling onto her lap. “She may not like my need for you, but she doesn’t hate you.” 

“What do you mean?” Tommy asks quietly. 

“You saved our relationship, Tommy. Getting out of that house healed me which in turn fixed my relationship with her. That’s what she doesn’t like. She doesn’t like that it took me getting away from her for us to be close again.” Trini takes a deep breath before continuing. “You saved me, Tommy. You and your dad were able to provide what I needed when she couldn’t and that’s what she hates. Not you. _Never you_.”

A tear rolls down Tommy’s cheek as she remembers the day she found Trini completely broken down and shattered in the alley behind her house on one of their days off from training. She remembers bringing Trini home with her and her dad instantly caring for and accepting her best friend. She remembers him talking to Trini’s father, asking for permission to have Trini move in with them. She remembers the shift in Trini a month after the move. “I didn’t save you, Trini. I just supported you as you saved yourself.”

Trini gives Tommy a half smile before she reaches for her mother’s greeting card that’s sitting at the top of the stack on the dining room table. “Did you read this? Or did you just pull out the gift card?” She asks. 

“I just took out the gift card.” 

Trini leans forward and presses a kiss to Tommy’s forehead. “Read this, babe.” She says as she places the card in Tommy’s hand. “She couldn’t come to the shower because of work, but this will probably help you understand why she was so generous with the amount.” 

Tommy meets Trini’s gaze and nods.

“Okay. I’m going to go finish organizing those.” She says softly, pointing towards the gifts. “I’ll be here when you’re done, okay?” 

Tommy nods again as she opens the card in her hand and Trini walks away. 

_… Lord only knows where she would be right now without you. You were her anchor. You kept her here. I’m so glad that she has you. She loves Kimberly unconditionally and she loves Mackenzie so much, but it’s you that she needs, Tommy. You are her safety. You even kept her safe from me. You were there for my daughter when I couldn’t be and I’ll never be able to repay you for that. Please accept this gift as a small token of appreciation for all that you did for my child. I hope it helps you prepare for your own child. I wish you and Zack the very best. I know you both will be amazing parents. Congratulations! Love, June Mendoza_

Tommy takes a deep, shaky breath as she holds the card to her heart. She lets her tears freely fall as she looks over to Trini who is alive and breathing and organizing the baby gifts by type. She feels her daughter kick and she releases a quiet sob before covering her mouth.

Trini looks up and smiles at her with tears in her eyes. Tommy slowly stands, leaving the heartfelt card on the table, and walks towards her. Trini meets her halfway.

“Trini, I love you.” She whispers as she hugs Trini tightly. 

Trini smiles up at Tommy, letting a tear roll down her cheek. “I love you too, Tommy.” 

Tommy begins to sob again and Trini pulls her closer, running soothing circles on her back. “I-I wasn’t expecting that.” Tommy says between cries.

“I told you she didn’t hate you, love.” Trini replies softly before kissing Tommy’s cheek. “She knows how important you are to me and she knows how much I love you. She knows you and I are more than just friends. She knows our bond is special. I think everyone does.”

Tommy chuckles as she pulls away a bit and wipes away her tears. “When did you become such a sap, Trini?”

“The day I moved in with you.” 

“I can’t say I’m sorry.” Tommy replies with a grin. 

Trini smiles. “I wouldn’t want you to.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ... I'm sorry.
> 
> Fun chapters are still coming, I promise! This one I couldn't skip, though.
> 
> I appreciate your comments/feedback! Thank you **so much** for reading! :)


	8. New Baby

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The new baby is here!
> 
> I didn't want to write another hospital chapter, so here's this.
> 
> Enjoy! :)

“Mackenzie Rae, can you please smile.” Trini huffs as she adjusts the focus on her camera for what seems like the thirtieth time.

The girl pouts, again, and crosses her arms before looking towards Kimberly with puppy dog eyes. “Mommy!” She whines. “Please don’t make me go. _Please_.”

Trini turns her head and glares at her wife standing beside her, raising an eyebrow. “Don’t you dare baby her, Kimberly.” She mutters under her breath before putting a hand on her hip.

“Listen, Mack.” Kimberly sighs and takes a few steps forward, towards Mackenzie. She crouches down to make level eye contact with her daughter and adjusts the yellow bow in her hair. “You have to go, sweetie. And you’re going to have lots of fun and make new friends and learn a bunch of new and exciting things.”

“And when you come home, you get to tell me and mommy all about it.” Trini adds as she kneels at Kimberly’s side. “Oh, and Aunt Tommy and your uncles.”

At that, Mackenzie smiles and begins to bounce on her feet. “And the new baby, mama?”

“Yes, you can tell the baby all about it, too.” Kimberly responds. 

Trini takes the opportunity to add to Mackenzie’s excitement. “And you’ll get to help teach your baby cousin all of the things you learn. You can help Uncle Zack and Aunt Tommy sing to her, and show her all the colors and shapes you know, and teach her all the letters and numbers. How does that sound, princess?” 

“Like _so much fun_!” Mackenzie squeals, still bouncing around on her tippy toes. She picks up her dinosaur backpack and swings a strap over one of her shoulders before she looks at her moms. “Can we go now?” She asks with a smile. 

Kimberly laughs as she kisses Mackenzie’s cheek before she playfully taps her nose with her finger. “Yes, but first you have to take a pretty picture for mama, okay?” 

Mackenzie poses with her hands on her hips, her head held high. “Just one, mama!” She warns with a big smile on her face.

Trini stands and adjusts the focus on the camera one more time. “Okay, baby.” She says with a chuckle before she starts counting. “Ready. One… two...” 

“ _Cheese_!”

Trini reviews the photo on the small screen and smiles. “That’s my girl.” Both Kimberly and Trini reach out to hold Mackenzie’s hands. “Now, let’s go! We can’t be late on the first day of school.” 

\--

Trini pumps a dollop of foaming hand soap onto Mackenzie’s palm and turns on the tap. “Lots of bubbles, okay Mack?”

“Okay.” The girl responds as she nods her head and starts to wash her hands. “She’s really, really pretty, mama!” 

“She is, huh?” Trini smiles as she washes her own hands.

“Mhmm.” Mackenzie replies as she meets her mom’s eyes in the mirror. “And _she smells so good_.” She finishes dramatically. 

Trini can’t help the laugh that escapes as she hands her daughter a towel to dry her hands on. “She does. You ready to go hold her?”

“Yes!” The girl shouts as she rushes out of the bathroom. 

Mackenzie makes a beeline for the nursery where Tommy is holding her newborn daughter with Zack and Kimberly at her side. “All clean?” Zack asks her. 

“Squeaky clean.” She replies with a giggle as she shows him her hands, wiggling her fingers for emphasis. “Can I hold the baby now?”

“Hmm…” Zack hums as he rubs his thumb over his chin. “Let me think about it.” 

Tommy rolls her eyes. “Stop pestering her, Zack.” She says as she slowly leads Mackenzie to the rocking chair in the corner of the room. 

Mackenzie turns back and sticks her tongue out at him. “Yeah, Uncle Zack. Stop peskering me!”

Kimberly, Trini, and Tommy all laugh as Zack throws his hands up in the air. “There is way too much girl power in this room right now.” He groans, walking over to Mackenzie and helping her sit all the way back in the chair. 

Tommy places Kendall into Mackenzie’s small arms, adjusting them so they’re supporting the baby. “You have to be gentle with her, okay Mack?”

“Yes, Aunt Tommy.” She replies sweetly as smiles down at the newborn. 

Kimberly wraps her arms around Trini’s waist and rests her head on her shoulder, admiring the view in front of her. “I think she’s in love, baby.” She whispers into her ear.

Trini places her hands over Kimberly’s. “They’re going to be inseparable.” She sighs contently. 

Zack looks their way with a cheesy smile. Trini meets his gaze and winks before relaxing more into Kimberly’s embrace. He turns back to the two girls in the rocking chair and kneels, then reaches towards Mackenzie and brushes a lock of hair behind her ear. 

“Uncle Zack?” Her voice is small and hesitant. 

He smiles. “What’s up, little one?” 

She looks up into his eyes with a tiny frown. “Do you think Kenny is going to like me?” 

Tommy’s eyes go wide as she makes her way towards Kimberly and Trini. “Kenny? Is that payback for Mack?” She asks, chuckling as she wraps an arm around Kimberly’s shoulders and rests her head against hers. 

“Again, I think it’s cute.” Kimberly replies. 

Trini nods in agreement. “It’s totally going to stick, watch.” The three look back to Zack and the two girls. 

“Like you?” He begins, placing his hand over Mackenzie’s hand that’s resting on Kendall’s stomach. “Kenny is going to love you, Mack. I know it.” 

Tommy shakes her head. “And there it is.” She laughs. 

“Told you.” Trini says, turning back to smirk at Tommy.

\--

“Stop. I’ve got this, you go relax.” 

“I can wash dishes, B.” 

Billy shakes his head as he turns to Tommy. “You just had major surgery.” He replies sternly. “You’re supposed to be resting. Please, go lay down somewhere.” 

“Fine.” She groans as she pads her way out of the kitchen towards the living room. 

“They’re all so tiny.” Trini holds up two newborn sized onesies for Jason to see. 

Jason laughs from beside her and nudges her shoulder. “Just like you.” 

“Clever.” She responds as she smacks his arm playfully. 

“Crazy to think that Mackenzie used to be that small.” He says with a smile as he straightens out one of Kendall’s beanies and adds it to the stack. “Now she’s in preschool.” 

Trini looks to him. “I know, she’s not a baby anymore.” 

“She’ll always be your baby.” Tommy replies from the entryway of the room with a smile before catching sight of all the laundry folded on the coffee table. “What are you two doing?” 

Trini looks up with a raised brow. “Folding clothes?” 

“Hey, are you okay?” Jason asks as tears begin to trickle down Tommy’s cheeks. 

Tommy shakes her head with a pout. “No.” She whimpers. “Billy is washing _my_ dishes, you and Trini are folding _my_ laundry, Kimberly and Zack are on _my_ weekly shopping trip. My daughter is sleeping. And, I’m useless!” 

Jason and Trini share a look before she’s on her feet and heading for Tommy. “You’re not useless, love. You’re recovering.” She wraps an arm around her waist from the side. “You’re supposed to be in bed, resting. C’mon.” 

“Trini!” Tommy whines. “No, I’m going stir crazy in that room.”

“Okay, then I’ll up you to the couch.” Trini replies, tightening her grip on Tommy carefully. “Either way, you’re not overexerting yourself. We’re here to help.”

Jason nods in agreement. “Please, Tommy. Relax.” He adds the last beanie to the pile and heads towards the two women. He reaches up and wipes away Tommy’s tears. “Zack would kill us if we let something happen to you and Kendall needs her mom, so I need you to sit down and take it easy, okay?”

“Okay.” She replies shakily. 

Jason presses a kiss to Tommy’s forehead and helps Trini guide her to the couch slowly.

Billy looks at the three from the kitchen with a small smile and watery eyes, admiring the way his boyfriend is so loving and so caring and so gentle with the ones he loves. He closes his eyes and bites into his bottom lip. “ _I’m gonna marry that boy someday_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm excited for the next chapter... how about you?
> 
> Thanks for your comments, I love reading them. Keep 'em coming! ;)


	9. Football Game

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a fun update for you... my draft for this chapter hit 4k words, so I'm dividing it into two.
> 
> Truthfully, I was feeling a little hesitant about the smut scene I wrote, so that's where I made the cut... sorry! 
> 
> Anyhow... I hope you enjoy reading this chapter. I really enjoyed writing it!

“Wait, why did Zack have to sneak into our house if he has a key?” 

Trini shrugs her shoulders as she continues to braid Mackenzie’s hair. “He said he left it at the restaurant, they forgot Kendall’s giraffe toy.” 

“And how did he get in?” Kimberly asks, her focus on Mackenzie’s fingernails. 

“Uncle Zack is nimble, mommy.” Mackenzie giggles from where she’s sitting between Trini’s legs on the floor. Kimberly stops painting her nails and looks her daughter with curious eyes.

Trini’s brow furrows. “He’s what, baby?” 

“Nimble.” She turns her head to look at Trini with a smile. “Like the nursery rhyme, mama. _Zack be nimble, Zack be quick_.”

Trini and Kimberly laugh as they meet each other’s gaze. 

“Princess, that song says Jack.” Kimberly responds as she pats Mackenzie’s knee. 

“I know.” The girl says with a grin. “But it’s funner to say Zack because Uncle Zack is nimble. That’s how he got into our house to get Sophie. He’s like a sneaky fox, mommy.” 

“Mack, how do you even know what nimble means?” Trini asks.

She giggles again. “Uncle Billy told me.” 

“Of course he did.” Kimberly says with a chuckle before leaning forward to kiss Mackenzie’s forehead. “Other hand, baby. It’s almost time to go.” 

Trini smiles as she uses a hair elastic to hold the braid of Mackenzie’s hair in place. “Blue or yellow?” She asks as she holds up two hair bows in Angel Grove High’s colors. 

“Yellow!” 

\-- 

“Where’s my favorite chamaca?” Mario asks as he kisses his daughter’s cheek. 

Trini rolls her eyes playfully. “She’s with Kimberly, the cheerleaders were passing out spirit stuff.”

June laughs. “Oh, I already got her some from the booster club’s stash.” She raises the drawstring backpack beside her and shakes it. “Guess she’ll be extra spirited tonight.” 

“Mom, she’s already decked out in so much blue and yellow, it's not even funny.” Trini shakes her head with a grin and takes a seat on the bleacher in front of her parents. “She might as well go all out, right?.” 

“Right.” June says leaning down to kiss the top of Trini’s head. 

Trini smiles and turns back to June and Mario. “Are both boys starting tonight?” 

“Yep, they’re excited.” Mario starts. 

June finishes. “It’s all they’ve talked about all week.” 

Trini smirks. “I’d be excited, too. They deserve it. I’m so proud of them.” 

“Mama! Mama!” Mackenzie’s voice is loud and bubbly, but it easily mixes in with all of the pre-game commotion going on in the stands. “Look! I got a megaphone, and pom poms, and glasses, and clappers for you and me. And Uncle Billy is getting us Tigers tattoos! Oh, and mommy got a cowbell and beads.” She’s bouncing around as she shows off all her spirit gear. 

“Did she now?” Trini asks as she looks up at Kimberly with a raised eyebrow. “Didn’t do anything special for those, did you?”

Kimberly shakes her head. “Please.” She replies with a wink.

“Mack.” Trini says, nudging Mackenzie’s shoulder. “Say hi, silly girl.” 

As the girl steps over the bleacher to hug and kiss June and Mario, Kimberly sits next to Trini and leans close, pressing a kiss to the side of her head. “It’s you who’ll be doing something special for these beads tonight.” She whispers into her ear teasingly. 

Trini quivers and it’s not because of the cool breeze that passes through the Friday night air. 

\--

“Oh, c’mon ref!” Trini yells from the stands. “What kind of bullshit call was that?!”

Mackenzie, who’s sitting on Billy’s lap, turns to her mother. “Swear jar!” 

Kimberly laughs as she shoves Trini playfully. “If you get us kicked out of this game, Jason is never going to forgive you.” 

“Neither will Daniel and Diego.” June adds as she nudges Trini’s back with her shoe.

Trini sighs and looks back to the field where the players are huddled, Diego is down on one knee in the center preparing the team for the next play.

“Let’s go boys, let’s go!” Jason shouts from the sideline as they break. 

The players begin to line up and Trini takes note of the positions. Diego, sporting Jason’s old number 11 jersey, is behind the center. Daniel is setting up on the far right. She quickly turns to her parents behind her, her eyes wide. “Is he making a pass to Daniel?” 

Mario nods with a grin. “They’ve been practicing it, I guess Coach thinks they’re ready.”

“Let’s go Tigers!” Mackenzie shouts into a megaphone as she waves a yellow and blue pom pom using her other hand. “Here we go!” 

Billy is clapping his hands loudly, repeating the girl’s words. 

_There’s the snap… and oh, it’s a fake! Diego Mendoza is making a pass to the right._

The crowd is cheering loudly and all eyes are on the field. 

_The ball is in the air... and Daniel Mendoza makes the catch at the 35._

The small group gets to their feet.

Mackenzie starts jumping up and down, still shaking her pom pom. “Yes! Yes! Yes!” She yells.

_He cuts inside, avoiding a tackle from Jeremy Franklin, and heads for the goal line!_

Billy grabs onto Trini’s bicep. 

_He’s at the 20._

Trini reaches for Kimberly’s hand, squeezing it tightly. “All the way. All the way!”

_The 15._

“Let’s go, Daniel!” Mario shouts, his hand cupped around his mouth. “Push through!”

_He. Is. Gonna. Score… TOUCHDOWN, TIGERS!_

The rest of the crowd is on their feet now, cheering loudly as the school’s band begins to play the fight song. “Way to go, boys!” Kimberly yells as she rings the cowbell in her free hand.

_Coach Scott really knows what he’s doing with those Mendoza boys, they’re on fire tonight._

“Lita! Lito! Did you see that?” Mackenzie asks excitedly as she steps up onto the seat, facing her grandparents. “Uncle Daniel scored! And Uncle Diego made the pass!” 

“We saw, mijita!” June replies with a wide smile as she pinches Mackenzie’s cheek. 

Trini wraps an arm around the girl’s waist and grins at the couple. “That was beautiful!”

“I know!” Mario exclaims, beaming at his daughter.

They all turn their attention back to the game and sit back down, watching as the kicker makes the extra point. Trini notices how quiet Billy has gotten and nudges his shoulder softly. “Hey, are you okay?” 

“Yeah, yeah.” He says with a smile. “Just proud of him.” He finishes as he nods his heads towards Jason on the field. 

Trini chuckles. “We all are.” She says with a wink.

“Uncle Billy, can we go get a snow cone now?” Mackenzie asks as she tugs lightly on his jacket.

June taps Mackenzie’s shoulder. “Mija, there’s two minutes left. Why don’t you wait until halftime, let your tío watch the game.”

“Oh, it’s okay Mrs. Mendoza.” Billy replies with a smile. “I’m not very comfortable in crowds and there’s barely a line right now.”

“Mind if I join you then? I need to check in on the volunteers.” 

“Not at all, Mrs. Mendoza.” 

“Please, Billy. Call me June.” She says as she stands and follows him and Mackenzie down the steps of the stadium. 

Once they reach the bottom, Mackenzie grabs one of each of their hands and you could hear her excited giggles from the stands as they swing her playfully. 

“Our kid is going to come back with enough snacks to feed the entire football team, isn’t she?” Kimberly asks, her eyes still following the trio as they walk towards the concession stand.

Trini laughs. “Yep.” 

“And there’s nothing we can do about it, is there?” She turns to look at her wife and father-in-law with a pout. 

Mario places a comforting hand on her shoulder as he chuckles. “Nope.” 

She sighs loudly, fidgeting with the beads around her neck, before her expression changes and she places a hand over Mario’s. “So, she’s spending the night with her grandparents, right?” She asks with a grin.

“Kimberly.” Trini speaks up, shaking her head. 

“It’s okay, mija.” He says. “We don’t mind. You and Kimmy can have a night off and we can spend some time with the princesa. We hardly see her now that she’s in school.” 

There’s a smirk on Kimberly’s face now and Trini rolls her eyes. “Are you sure, papá?”

“Positive. We can make breakfast in the morning and take her to the park and the library, then you two can join us for lunch. Unless you already have plans?”

Trini goes to answer when Kimberly beats her to it. “We don’t. That sounds perfect.” She replies enthusiastically. 

“Sounds like a plan then.” Mario ends the conversation with a smile. “I’m excited.”

As if on cue, the scoreboard buzzes, signaling the half and Mackenzie is barreling her way towards her mothers with a bag of Skittles in one hand and a rainbow snow cone in the other. “Mommy, mama! Can I spend the night with Lita and Lito? Please. Please. _Please_?!”

“I’m sorry girls, it slipped.” June says with a worried expression following her granddaughter to their seats, balancing a tray of nachos and four hot dogs in her hands.

Billy comes up behind the women with a bag of kettle corn, cotton candy, and a blue snow cone in his hands. “It was sort of my fault, actually. She said she missed them and I kind of suggested it. I’m sorry.” 

Trini looks between everyone with curious eyes before sighing. “You’re all lucky we keep an overnight bag for Mack in the Jeep.”

“Yes!” Mackenzie shouts as she takes a drink from her snow cone. “Thank you!”

\-- 

_And that’s the game, folks. Angel Grove wins, 42 to 34! Playoffs, here we come!_

Mario is quick to lift Mackenzie up into his arms and the girl leans forward to kiss Kimberly and Trini on the cheek. “Bye!” 

“Be good for grandma and grandpa, okay baby.” Kimberly says as she ruffles the girl’s hair. 

She nods with a smile. “I will, mommy.” 

June shoulders the drawstring backpack and reaches over to hug Trini. “We’ll see you tomorrow, mija.” She says as she kisses her temple. 

“Call if you need us, please.” She replies. 

“Thanks for watching her.” Kimberly says as she goes to hug June while Mario kisses Trini’s forehead. “Let us know where we’re meeting for lunch.” 

June smiles before kissing Kimberly’s cheek. “Of course, mija.”

They all say their final goodbyes before Mario and June head down the stairs with Mackenzie.

Kimberly and Trini look to the field where they see Daniel and Diego pour the leftover Gatorade on Jason who’s pointing up at his father sitting in the stands. His dad points back with a smile as he mouths “ _I’m so proud of you_!” 

Billy turns to the two women with a smile. “I’m so proud of him, too.” He whispers. 

“We all are.” Trini replies with a smile as she wraps her arms around Kimberly’s waist and presses a kiss to her shoulder blade. “He’s always been a great leader.” 

“I asked him to marry me.” He whispers again. 

Both of them freeze as the confession floats in the air for a bit before they simultaneously shout. “When?!” 

Billy smiles. “Um, last night at dinner with our parents. We were going to tell you all together, but I just couldn’t keep it in anymore. I’m really excited.” His eyes slightly widen. “Oh, man. Tommy and Zack are going to be so mad. Jason is going to be so mad that I didn’t wait for him to tell you guys.” 

“Billy.” Trini says as Kimberly rests a hand on his forearm. “It’s okay, we won’t tell.” 

Kimberly nods in agreement. “And we’ll both act surprised.” She finishes with a wink.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will be up soon. Very soon! ;)
> 
> As always, keep the comments/feedback coming. I love hearing what you guys think!


	10. Play Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ... a continuation of Chapter 9.
> 
> I'm still questioning the first scene of this chapter... I hope it's not horrible. 
> 
> Enjoy!

“I said off, Trini.” Kimberly demands. 

Trini smirks and licks her lips before looking deep into Kimberly’s dark eyes. She pulls her bottom lip between her teeth and bites down before letting it slip free. “And I said make me.” 

Kimberly growls as she puts her hands on the headboard with Trini’s head between her arms. She leans close, staring Trini down, before she kisses her roughly. This time, her teeth bite into Trini’s lip which causes a whine to escape. “K-Kim.” 

“Shh.” She whispers, moving one of her hands to press a finger to Trini’s lips. “You don’t want to listen, so you don’t get to talk.”

Trini goes to bite Kimberly’s finger when she pulls back quickly. “No!” Kimberly says as she wags her finger in Trini’s face with a smirk. 

Trini grins as she moves a hand forward and wraps her fingers around the beads on Kimberly’s neck. She uses the necklaces to pull her wife towards her. “You’re not very good at getting what you want, baby.” She teases. 

“I have you, don’t I?” Kimberly quips with a raised brow.

Trini rolls her eyes. “You know what I mean, Kimberly.”

“You want to play, Mrs. Mendoza-Hart?” Kimberly says as she sits up on Trini’s lap with a mischievous grin on her face. “Because I can show you that I _always_ get what I want.” She leans close to Trini’s ear. “Especially from you.” She finishes in a sultry tone. 

“You don’t scare me, Mrs. Hart-Mendoza.” Trini replies as she leans back against the headboard and rests her hands behind her head. She cocks her head to the side. “So yes, let’s play. Show me what you’ve got.”

Kimberly’s smirk turns predatory as she grips Trini’s chin between her fingers and tilts her head up. “Take your shirt off, Trini.” She demands again as she rolls her hips. “ _Now_.” 

Trini’s hands find the neck of her shirt, pulling it up and over her head. She drops it to the floor then wraps her arms around Kimberly, resting one hand on her back and the other on her ass, and pulls her close. “Is that all you want, Kimberly.” She says alluringly before leaning forward and kissing her passionately.

Kimberly whines against Trini’s lips as she rolls her hips again, adjusting herself so she’s closer. “I want you, Trini.” She moans. 

Trini lifts Kimberly off her lap and flips her so she’s on her back. She quickly straddles her wife and leans down to hover over her face. “Where do you want me, baby?” She asks. Trini looks into her eyes again and Kimberly lifts her head to kiss her wife, only for Trini to move. Her bottom lip just barely brushes against Kimberly’s top lip and Trini can’t help the smirk that appears as Kimberly cries out desperately.

“Trini.” She whines, thrusting her hips up, seeking any kind of relief. “Trini, _please_!” 

“You’re so pretty when you beg, baby.” Trini whispers as she reaches down to tug Kimberly’s shirt off, making sure the blue and yellow beads around her neck stay in place. She snaps the strap of Kimberly’s bra. “Take this off.” She demands, as she starts to rain kisses down Kimberly’s front, grazing her teeth softly against Kimberly’s abs eliciting more cries. 

Clothes continues to be removed while hands continue to roam. Whines continue to turn into whimpers and whimpers continue to turn into moans. Tongues flick over sensitive spots and fingers find all of the right places. Names are shouted out in throaty tones as hips lift off the bed and hands dig into the sheets. Power is passed from one to the other until they’re both completely spent. 

Trini smiles as she watches Kimberly’s breathing even out. She pushes a lock of slightly dampened hair behind her ear before kissing her softly, her hands twisting the beads that are still around Kimberly’s neck. “So, was that special enough for me to earn these?”

Kimberly is too tired to speak and let’s out this adorable little grunt instead as she removes the necklaces from around her neck and slides them around Trini’s. 

“C’mere, baby.” Trini chuckles as she pulls Kimberly close, gently stroking her hair and presses a small kiss to her forehead. 

Kimberly’s eyes close as she rests a hand on Trini’s exposed chest. “I love you, Trini.” She whispers with a half smile. 

Trini locks a leg around Kimberly’s, intertwining them before she grasps Kimberly’s forearm softly. “I love you too, Kimberly.” She says as she watches her wife drift off to sleep.

Trini fidgets with the yellow necklace around her neck for another thirty minutes, enjoying the view of her wife sleeping peacefully, before she takes them all off and places them on the nightstand. With a click, the bedside lamp is turned off and moments later, she’s fast asleep.

\--

The upbeat pop music filling the air carries into the bedroom as Trini begins to stir. She groans as she rubs the sleep out of her eyes before she sits up and stretches her arms above her head as she looks around the room. Their clothes is still haphazardly scattered on the floor, a reminder of the night before, and she can’t help but smile. 

There’s a clatter in the kitchen and her lips curl into an even bigger smile. She lazily gets out of bed, slides on a pair of boxer briefs and a sports bra, then heads towards the noise.

As she rounds the corner, the sight stops her in her tracks. Kimberly is reaching up to pull mugs from the cabinet, clad only in a pair of lacy pink panties and one of Trini’s flannels.

Her heartbeat quickens as she walks towards her wife. She wraps an arm around her waist from behind and moves her hair to the side with her free hand to kiss the nape of her neck. “Morning, my love.” 

Kimberly gently places the mugs on the counter and turns in Trini’s arms, wrapping her own arms around her neck, and leans forward to place a chaste kiss on her cheek. “Good morning, babe. I made breakfast, you hungry?”

“Sure.” She replies before kissing Kimberly softly. “How’d you sleep?”

Kimberly raises a brow with a smirk. “You mean after last night?” 

Trini shakes her head, rolling her eyes at her wife’s teasing tone. “Don’t you dare get any ideas, Kimberly. We’re meeting my parents soon.” 

“That’s not for another couple of hours.” Kimberly says as she pulls Trini closer. 

“Oh, no you don’t.” Trini laughs as she ducks out from under Kimberly’s arms and heads for the table. “I’m hungry and then, I need a shower.”

Kimberly picks the mugs back up off the counter and follows Trini. “You’re no fun, babe.” 

“Mhmm. I know. I’m so horrible.” Trini replies with an eye roll.

\-- 

“Mack.” Trini says as she puts another load of laundry into the washer. “Go tell mommy it’s bath time, it’s already seven.” 

“ _No_!” The girl shouts as she continues to color. “I don’t want to take a bath.” 

Trini winces and runs a hand through her hair. “Mackenzie Rae, now please.” 

“Mama, I’m coloring.” 

“I know, but it’s bath time now.” Trini closes the lid of the washer and presses the start button before walking to the dining room table with the basket of dry clothes. “Here, look your shark pajamas are washed.” She says as she tosses the set towards Mackenzie. “Now, go.” 

Mackenzie groans as she puts her crayons back in the box and closes the coloring book. She picks up the pajamas and heads towards the bathroom. 

Kimberly adjusts the temperature of the water and starts to fill the tub. “Did you have fun at grandma and grandpa’s today, baby?” She asks as Mackenzie walks in. 

“Yep.” She says with a smile. “We played Candy Land and grandma kept winning.” 

“Oh, yeah?” Kimberly replies with a chuckle as she turns off the water and helps Mackenzie into the tub before sitting on the floor beside it. “What else did you do?” 

Mackenzie splashes with one of the toys in the water. “We went to the library and the park.” She says as she looks up at her mother. “Oh, and I played football with Uncle Daniel and Diego.” 

“Sounds like fun, princess.”

Mackenzie nods as she goes back to playing with the toys in the tub. Kimberly joins in and soon they’re both making pretend voices for the plastic dinosaurs and laughing.

Trini enters the bathroom with Mackenzie’s towel and smiles at the sight of her wife and daughter. “You two doing okay in here?” She asks quietly. 

“Mama!” Mackenzie squeals. “Come play with us. You can be the purple dinosaur.”

Trini nods and sits cross legged in front of the tub beside Kimberly, reaching for one of her hands and interlacing their fingers. “What’s the purple one’s name again?” 

“Lexie.” Mackenzie grins. “She’s a stegosaurus, aren’t her plates cool, mama?”

“They’re really cool, baby.” 

The girl giggles. “Uncle Billy says they’re herbivores, which means they only eat plants. They wouldn’t eat me or you or mommy.” She finishes with a smile. 

“Well, that’s good news.” Trini chuckles as she ruffles Mackenzie’s hair and looks at her in awe while squeezing Kimberly’s hand.

Kimberly looks to her wife with a small pout, knowing she’s here but also lost deep in her thoughts somewhere. She reaches for the fish-shaped bottle of soap and holds it out to Mackenzie. “You got it, Mack?” 

“Uh huh. I’m a big girl now, remember?” 

Kimberly smiles as she pinches the girl’s cheek. “I know you are, silly girl.” 

As Mackenzie washes her hair and body, Kimberly leans over and kisses Trini’s temple. 

\-- 

“Hey babe, what’s wrong?” Kimberly asks as she turns to look at Trini who’s lying down and staring up at the ceiling. 

Trini shifts to face her wife. “Huh? Oh, nothing.” 

“Don’t shut me out, Trini.” Kimberly replies softly as she cups her cheek. “What’s the matter?” 

Trini takes a deep, shaky breath. “She’s growing up too fast.” Trini mutters as a tear rolls down her cheek. She dips her head into the crook of Kimberly’s neck and nuzzles close before wrapping her arms around her tightly. 

“Oh, babe.” She whispers, adjusting herself so Trini could get as close as possible.

Trini shakes her head slightly. “It’s stupid, really. I’m just sad.” 

“It’s not stupid.” Kimberly coos as she runs a hand down Trini’s soft hair. “I heard her tell you no.” She tightens her grip on Trini with her free arm.

“I’m so afraid of becoming her, Kimberly.” Trini replies with a sniffle. “I don’t want Mackenzie to grow up and hate me the way I hated my mom.” She whimpers and closes her eyes.

Kimberly presses a kiss to Trini’s forehead. “That’s not going to happen, baby.” She says soothingly. “She loves you, Trini. So, so much. And we’re not going to push her away or not accept her the way your mom did to you.” 

Trini nods her head. “I’m still scared, babe.” 

“I know, baby, I know.” Kimberly says as she kisses Trini softly. “But, you're an amazing mother, Trini. Our daughter adores you. I know you’re scared, but we’ve got this. We’re a team. We can get through anything together. It’s all going to be fine.” 

“You promise?” Trini asks softly with a small smile on her face.

Kimberly chuckles lightly. “I promise, Trini.” She rests her free hand on her back. “You okay?” 

“Yeah, I’m okay. As long as you’re here, I’ll always be okay.” Trini kisses her before nuzzling close again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was very Trini/Kimberly-centric, but everyone will be back in the next chapter. :) 
> 
> Comments/feedback are greatly appreciated, as always. 
> 
> Also, my draft has a good amount of jumps coming up. So, if there's something you'd like to see happen, I'm happy to hear what that is to see if I could work it in.
> 
> Thanks for sticking around for 10 chapters... wow!


	11. Christmas Vacation (Part 1)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look at me dividing up sections of the story again... whoops.
> 
> This one is currently sitting at three parts with lots of cute family moments and some announcements. ;) 
> 
> Hope you enjoy! :)

“Kimberly, you’ve vacuumed that room four times already.” Trini starts as she cradles her wife’s face in her hands and kisses her softly. “You don’t have to impress them.” 

Kimberly groans. “They could’ve gave us more warning, Trin.” She rests her head on Trini’s chest. “Plus, we’re supposed to be leaving in two days and we haven’t even started packing. _Shit_.” 

“Don’t stress, baby. It’ll all get done.” Trini replies soothingly as she runs her hands through her hair. “But, please. Put this away, your parents will be here any minute.”

“Okay. I wish they weren’t coming, though.” Kimberly frowns. “They haven’t visited since Mackenzie’s first birthday, I don’t know why they’re coming now.”

Trini shrugs. “I don’t know either, baby.”

Kimberly rolls her eyes and reaches for Trini’s hand. “I need a drink.” She says as she guides them to the kitchen, pulling the vacuum along. 

\-- 

“She was doing so well in gymnastics though, I don’t understand why you pulled her out to do karate instead.” Maddy says with her fork still in her hand.

“I didn’t like gymnastics anymore.” Mackenzie says as she looks up from her plate with a smile. 

Maddy grimaces as she looks to her granddaughter at the end of the table and then back to Trini and Kimberly across from her. “She’s five, she shouldn’t be the one making decisions.” 

“Trini and I didn’t ask for your input, mother.” Kimberly scowls as she drops her fork and crosses her arms. “We’re not going to force her to do something she doesn’t like.” She spits out as she raises a brow, challenging her mother. 

“No, you’d rather put her into something violent instead.” Maddy spits back at her daughter. “Because hitting people doesn’t lead to any kind of consequences, does it, Kimberly.” 

The words cause Kimberly to gasp and shrink back against her chair.

“Maddy!” Ted exclaims from beside his wife. “That’s enough.” 

Trini shakes her head and reaches over to nudge Mackenzie’s arm. “Take your plate and go eat in the living room, baby.” She whispers. “You can turn on the TV, okay?” 

Mackenzie looks at her mother with wide eyes and a frown before nodding her head.

She watches as her daughter puts her plate down on the coffee table and only turns back to her in-laws when she hears the sound of a children’s show fill the air. 

“Look, I’m sorry, but this is our home.” Trini starts as she places a hand on Kimberly’s thigh and squeezes it gently. “I won’t have you in here disrespecting my wife or undermining our choices as parents, especially when our child is in the room.” 

“Trini, it’s okay.” Kimberly says softly, as she lays her hand over Trini’s.

“No, Kimmy, it’s not okay.” Ted says from across the table. “Your mom and I just wanted to spend a little time with you and your family, we don’t want to fight.” 

Maddy sighs before looking up at Kimberly. “He’s right, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“Can we just finish our dinner so we can take Mackenzie to see the Christmas lights, please.” 

\-- 

“Do we seriously need eight boxes of cereal?!” Trini yells from where she’s standing inside of the rental van. “Seems excessive!” 

Tommy laughs as she comes around the open door. “Are you really standing inside the van without having to duck your head? Oh, my god. You’re so little and adorable!”

“Fuck off, T.” Trini says as she chucks a box of cereal at her. “Why eight?”

Tommy shrugs as she catches the box and puts it back in line with the others. “It’s gonna be a week with Jason, Billy, Zack, and a certain five year old who would go through an entire box in one sitting if you let her.” 

“I blame Billy.” Trini says with chuckle.

“So, what are we missing?” Tommy asks as she examines what’s already stored in the van. 

“Um.” Trini goes over the list in her head before snapping her fingers. “Shoot. Kenny’s diaper bag is still in your truck. Can you grab it? Oh, and the girls’ coats are still inside.”

“ _Trini_!” Tommy shouts. “You grabbed the cereal but not the stuff for the girls?”

Trini rolls her eyes as she jumps out of the van. “I spent the last two days playing referee for Kimberly and her mother. I’m still recuperating.” 

“Was it really that bad?” Tommy asks with a frown. 

“Let’s not talk about it.” Trini replies quickly. “I’ll be right back.”

The second Trini walks through the front door, Mackenzie comes barreling right into her, causing her to stumble backwards a bit. “Whoa there, princess. What’s wrong?”

“Mama! We need a toboggan!” She shouts. 

Trini looks down at her daughter who’s still in bright pink pajamas. “Baby, why aren’t you dressed yet. Where’s mommy?” She looks around the living room and notices it’s empty. “Where are your uncles?” When she looks back at her daughter, her brows furrow. “What the heck is a toboggan?” 

“A sled, mama!” The girl exclaims while shaking her arms in front of her. “We need a sled!”

“Baby, we don’t have time to get a sled.” She whispers as she bends down and kisses her daughter’s head. “I need you to go get dressed, please. We need to leave like now.”

“But, mama!” Mackenzie whines. “It’s gonna be snowing.” 

Trini sighs as she ruffles her daughter's hair. “Okay, we’ll figure it out when we get there. Please Mackenzie, go change. And make sure you use the bathroom, okay. We’ll be on the road for a couple of hours. I’m going to find your mom and uncles.” 

“Oh, they’re in the backyard.” The girl says as she runs off to her bedroom. “Uncle Zack dropped the ice chest and it has a big crack now.”

Trini facepalms as she groans loudly.

\-- 

Darkness surrounds the van as it continues its way towards the destination. 

Kendall is fast asleep in her car seat, her tiny hand wrapped around the giraffe shaped teething toy. Mackenzie is sleeping beside her in her own car seat, her head tilted to the side. 

Trini, Kimberly and Tommy are also asleep in the seat in front of the girls. Trini is sitting in the middle with her head leaning against Tommy’s shoulder and has a hand intertwined with Kimberly’s. Tommy has her head back against the seat and Kimberly has her head on Trini.

Billy is laying down sleeping in the seat in front of the women, his arm and feet dangling off. 

Jason turns to Zack who’s in the driver’s seat. “How’s fatherhood treating you?” 

“Pretty good.” He replies with a smile. “I mean I could go for a couple more hours of sleep every night, but I’m not complaining.”

“Yeah. And how’s Tommy holding up?” 

Zack quickly looks to Jason before focusing his eyes back on the road. “She loves it, J. Being a mother is a part of her, she’s so good at it.”

“I wouldn’t doubt it.” Jason replies. “You saw how protective and loving and caring she was when everything happened with Trin.” 

Zack exhales deeply. “Yeah, I remember.” 

Jason shakes his head with a small chuckle. “You know, it’s crazy, but sometimes I try to picture my life without you guys in it and I just can’t.”

“That’s because those girls and Billy back there.” Zack starts as he uses his head to motion towards the back of the van. “They’re ours. They’re our family. Life would suck without them.”

Jason nods in agreement. “I know what you mean.”

The two continue to talk quietly until the fuel gauge hits the quarter mark and Zack exits to pull into the nearest gas station. 

Trini is the first to move and makes her way to the front of the van, careful not to wake anyone else. She stands between the two front seats and kisses both Jason and Zack on the cheek. “Life would suck without you two, too.” She whispers with a sleepy grin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ... one of them had to have problematic parents, right? Again, whoops! :/
> 
> But, get ready for a super fun family vacation. ;) 
> 
> Comments/feedback is greatly appreciated. Thanks for reading!


	12. Christmas Vacation (Part 2)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's an update with little moments from the family's first day of vacation.
> 
> I feel like I should say that this is somewhat of a filler chapter... so, there's that. But, there's more to come. ;)
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

“Is she okay, Trin?” Jason asks as he looks over the back of the first seat. 

Trini is sitting in the middle seat with a sleeping Kimberly’s head on her lap. “Yeah, I think so. I’m pretty sure it’s just motion sickness.” She replies as she runs a hand through her wife’s hair.

“I have medicine in my bag, love.” Tommy says from the driver’s seat. 

Trini quickly looks up to meet her eyes in the rearview mirror. “Um, thanks. I don’t want to wake her though. I’m sure it’ll pass.” 

“Really, Trini?” Billy asks as he looks back at Trini curiously from the passenger seat. 

She smiles at him. “Yeah. Um, let’s let her sleep for now, we’ll ask her when she’s awake.” 

“Mama.” Mackenzie whines in a tired voice. “Are we there yet?” 

“Almost, pretty girl.” Trini says as she reaches back over the seat and ruffles her daughter’s hair. “Did you have a good nap?” 

The girl nods with a small smile. “I’m hungry.” 

“Don’t worry, I’ve got her, T.” Zack says from the last seat where he’s sitting between both car seats. “You take care of Kim.” 

Trini gives Zack a half smile. “Thanks.” She says as she turns her attention back to her wife.

Zack pinches Mackenzie’s cheek. “Hi, hungry. Want some apple chips?” 

“Uh huh.” The girl says quietly as she smiles at her uncle. 

Trini looks back at the girl. “Manners, Mackenzie.”

“Yes, please.” 

\--

The living room of the cabin is filled with laughter as Mackenzie covers her head with Kendall’s blanket again. Kendall is secured into her bouncer, kicking and swinging her little arms and legs. 

“Where’s Kenny?!”

Mackenzie’s voice is muffled by the fabric, but it still elicits small giggles from the baby. 

The girl pulls the blanket off quickly and leans forward towards Kendall. “There she is!” She shouts cheerfully. 

The baby breaks into a fit of laughter after letting out a high-pitched squeal. Her feet are kicking more rapidly and the adults surrounding them are all laughing along.

As Mackenzie continues to play peek-a-boo with Kendall, Jason and Trini head outside to start a fire while Tommy and Billy head to the kitchen, leaving Zack and Kimberly to watch the two girls.

“She’s so good with her.” Kimberly says as she sighs contently. 

Zack turns to Kimberly and smirks. “If you had told me ten years ago that you and I would be sitting here today watching our daughters play together, I’m pretty sure I would’ve laughed in your face.” 

Kimberly laughs as she rests her head on Zack’s shoulder. “This is crazy, right?” She starts. “Like we both have amazing wives, beautiful little girls, gorgeous houses, working cars…” She lifts her head and looks to Zack with tears in her eyes. “It’s crazy.” 

Zack wraps a comforting arm around her and brings her closer to him. “Please, don’t cry. I’m positive that my beautiful little girl senses tears.”

Kimberly chuckles as she lightly punches Zack on the arm.

\--

“Just watch, it’s the cutest thing ever.” Kimberly whispers to the three beside her on the couch. 

Trini and Tommy are both sitting right in front of the fireplace, side by side, with mugs filled with hot chocolate snug between their hands. They’re holding the mugs right below their chins, allowing the warmth of the drink to float up to their faces. They’re both looking down into the mugs at the smooth, bubbly froth. 

“I’m not sure I understand what we're supposed to be observing.” Billy says quietly. 

Zack bites his lip to stop himself from laughing. “Wait, it’s coming.” He whispers. 

That’s when simultaneously Tommy and Trini’s lips curl into small smiles before they both blow into their mugs, forming tiny o’s with their mouths. 

“Whoa.” Jason mutters. “That’s freaky.”

“Keep watching.” Kimberly whispers again, as she rests a hand on Zack’s knee and tries hard to hold back a chuckle. 

After a beat, the women in front of the fire both bring the mugs up to their lips and take a drink before they lower their cups and smile again after they swallow.

“Oh, shit!” Billy practically shouts.

Trini and Tommy look up, at the same time, and raise a brow. 

“Are we 100% sure they’re not twins who were switched at birth or something, because that gave me the fucking creeps.” Jason says as he turns to Zack and Kimberly who are looking at their spouses with pure adoration. 

“What?” Tommy and Trini ask together. 

“They don’t even realize they’re doing it, do they?”

“Nope.” Kimberly says with a chuckle. “That’s why it’s so adorable.” 

“More like terrifying.” Jason adds, shaking his head. 

\--

“Today was fun.” Billy says as he finishes with the last button of his pajamas. 

Jason looks up at Billy from where he’s sitting on the bed. “It was.” He answers sweetly with a smile. “Are you coming to bed yet?” 

“Well, I was going to read, but the lighting in here isn’t too good.” He starts as he begins to pace. “It’s also kind of cold and…” 

“Babe.” Jason interrupts softly. “Come. Lay down.” He pats the spot next to him on the bed. 

“Yeah, okay. That’s probably a good idea.” He replies with a smile before he pads over to the bed and pulls the comforter off, wrapping it around himself. 

Jason chuckles as he looks up at Billy. “You just gonna keep it all to yourself?”

“I said I was cold.” Billy replies as he uses a knee to leverage himself onto the bed. 

Jason adjusts himself so he’s laying down on the bed with his head on a pillow and opens his arms. “C’mere.” He whispers.

Billy smiles wide before crawling his way to Jason and practically laying on top of him, still wrapped in the blanket like a burrito. Jason wraps his arms tightly around Billy and uses one hand to softly caress his back. 

“I’m ready.” Billy mumbles, as he nuzzles into the crook of Jason’s neck. “Let’s tell them.”

Jason presses a gentle, loving kiss to Billy’s forehead. “Are you sure?” 

Billy yawns as he squirms a bit to get more comfortable. “Positive.” He replies simply before closing his eyes. A second passes and he opens them again. “Hey, Jason?” 

“Yeah, babe?” 

Billy leans his head up to kiss Jason softly. “I can’t wait to be your husband.”

With that, Jason tightens his embrace as Billy drifts off to sleep, quickly following behind him. 

\-- 

“Mackenzie.” Kimberly says breathlessly. “You’re supposed to be sleeping, pretty girl.” 

“I can’t sleep, mommy.” The girl says as she walks into Trini and Kimberly’s room with a frown, her teddy bear in her hand hanging by her side. “My brain won’t turn off.”

Kimberly bites her lip as she looks to Trini beside her, taking note of the tiny beads of sweat on her forehead and the mix of desperation and shock on her face, then grins when she feels Trini tighten around her fingers which are _there_.

Kimberly quickly looks back to her daughter. “Sweetie, um.” She hesitates. “Go back to bed, please. We’ll go read you another book in a minute, okay?”

“Okay.” Mackenzie replies with a smile and a nod.

The second their daughter is out the door, Trini throws her head back and let’s out a pitiful groan as she uses her hands to grab at Kimberly’s wrist. “ _Kim_.” She whines.

“I’m sorry, baby.” Kimberly whispers as she uses her free hand to caress Trini’s cheek. “I thought I locked the door.”

Trini shakes her head and pulls Kimberly down for a quick kiss as Kimberly slowly removes her fingers from inside of Trini. “Don’t be sorry, babe. I swear she was already asleep when I checked on her.”

“You know how sneaky she’s been lately.” Kimberly replies with a chuckle. 

“I know.” Trini says as she runs a hand through her hair. “But, we need to, um, clean up.” She looks into Kimberly’s eyes and recognizes the darkness in them. “Kim, you just told our girl we’d read to her again, shake it off.”

Kimberly leans down and kisses Trini again. “Fine, but I’m not done with you yet.” She says teasingly as she cups Trini’s heat before getting out of bed.

The action causes Trini to jerk as she curses internally before finding it in herself to get out of bed to follow her wife.

\--

“I fall in love with her more and more everyday, how is that even possible?”

Zack smiles as a reaches over his daughter and brushes a loose strand of Tommy’s hair behind her ear. “I say the same thing about both of you everyday.” He responds and looks at Tommy adoringly. 

As Zack leans forward to kiss his wife, Kendall reaches up and blocks him by placing her small hand over his mouth. She coos softly and looks up at her parents with bright eyes. 

Tommy laughs as a pout appears on Zack’s face.

Zack shakes his head as he rolls his eyes playfully. “You think you’re cute, don’t you baby girl.” He says as he lifts his daughter and lays on his back, then rests Kendall on his chest. 

Tommy adjusts herself so her head is on Zack’s chest next to her daughter’s. “She is cute, babe.”

“Tom, that’s the third time she’s done that. Do you think she know’s she’s doing it?” 

“Oh, she definitely knows.” Tommy replies with a smirk. “She’s a total daddy’s girl, wants your kisses all for herself.” She chuckles as she leans up and presses a soft kiss to Zack's neck.

Zack sighs contently and wraps his arms tightly around both Tommy and Kendall. “My girls.” He whispers. “I love you both so much.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like I've come to terms with none of my updates being as good as the first chapter of this story... comments/feedback are totally welcome, as always. 
> 
> Teaser for the next chapter... snowballs and some big announcements.


	13. Christmas Vacation (Part 3)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember when I said that my writing changes with my mood? Well, this is the result...
> 
> Also, this update got away from me, so I'm dividing it again ( _Sorry!_ ). 
> 
>   **Trigger Warning: suicidal thoughts & an anxiety attack.**

The morning air was brisk and the mountains were covered in a fresh blanket of fluffy, white snow. Trini adjusts the yellow beanie on her head and turns to Tommy. “Ready?”

“We’re gonna freeze out here, you dork.” 

Trini laughs as she shoulders her backpack and reaches for Tommy’s hand. “You say that every year and yet, here we are.” 

“Okay, but it feels colder this year.” Tommy replies with a smirk.

Trini rolls her eyes playfully as she nudges Tommy’s shoulder with her own. “You say that every year, too. We gotta go, love, or we’re never gonna make it back on time.” 

“On time for what?” Tommy asks as she tugs at their joined hands and guides them towards a familiar trail. “They know this is our thing.”

“They know, but Mack doesn’t, and I sort of promised her chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast when she was having trouble falling asleep last night and you know she doesn’t forget anything.” 

Tommy looks to Trini with a smile. “Well, in that case, let’s go, because I also know that our girl hardly ever sleeps in.” 

At the start of the trail, Trini looks to Tommy with a mischievous grin. “I’ll race you.” 

“Trini.” Tommy whispers as she looks down at the shorter women with another smirk. “I’m way ahead of you.” She takes off up the mountain leaving Trini behind. 

“Tommy! You damn cheater!” Trini yells as she chases after her.

Tommy is the first to reach the two trees that are discreetly marked and stops to catch her breath only to see Trini coming right at her. “Whoa, Trini!” Tommy shouts before Trini makes contact, the force causing Tommy to stumble backwards into one of the trees as she catches Trini in her arms with a grunt. “Ouch!”

“That’s what you get, jerk.” Trini says as she looks up at Tommy with a playful pout.

“You know, for someone who’s so little, you’re pretty fast.”

Trini laughs as she kisses Tommy’s cheek. “Shut up, it’s too early in the morning for short jokes.”

Once they both catch their breath, they continue to walk towards a small, hidden sitting garden where there are two concrete benches surrounded by various plants and shrubs. The opening above provides a beautiful view of the sunrise and that’s why Trini and Tommy make sure to spend at least one morning here every time they make the trip.

Trini takes off her backpack and opens it to pull out the san marcos blanket she’s had since she was a baby. It’s thick enough to provide a good amount of warmth, but one look at it never fails to cause a chill to run down Tommy’s back as a certain memory floods her mind.

\-- 

“ _Trini_!” 

Tommy pulls Trini closer to her chest, still getting no verbal response as Trini’s fists continue to make contact with her chest. The choked sobs coming from Trini are enough to break Tommy’s heart, to completely shatter it into a thousand and one itty-bitty, tiny pieces. 

Trini is the strong one, the bravest of them all, and yet, here she was. Broken down, tattered, and wrapped in a thick, plush blanket with swollen, bloodshot eyes taking shallow, rapid breaths.

“I’m so, so sorry, Trini.” Tommy says in a shaky voice as she runs her hands through Trini’s tousled hair, gently combing out the tangles. “I’m sorry I didn’t see it sooner. I’m sorry I let you down. I’m sorry I wasn’t here.” 

Trini’s hits get harder, her hot tears falling to Tommy’s skin. “I don’t know if I can do this anymore.” She finally admits, her voice not sounding like her own at all.

The words cause a lump in Tommy’s throat because she knows they are so much more deeper than they sound. _This_ isn’t being a Power Ranger, or dating a girl, or being a tiny ball of sarcasm and angst. Tommy knows that the _this_ Trini is talking about is living and the thought of Trini not wanting to live anymore scares the hell out of Tommy. She holds back her own tears as she painfully swallows down the lump that has formed. 

Tommy and Trini’s friendship had its flaws, especially since Trini struggled for a long time to accept the fact that Tommy, the newest Green Ranger, wasn’t conniving and evil. To be honest, Trini avoided her at all costs for months. But one day, Tommy was quick to pick up on Trini’s carefully selected words as she made vague mentions of harming herself and _ending it all_. That was the first time Tommy had talked Trini off of an edge, reminding her that she was loved and she was cared for. Reminding her of all the reasons she was wanted and needed. 

Everything shifted after that, the two instantly becoming inseparable. Tommy became Trini’s safety, Trini’s stone. When Trini got lost in those dark, uncertain places in her mind, Tommy was there to guide her back. When Trini felt that she didn’t deserve the relationships she had, Tommy was there to remind her that she deserved the world.

When Trini’s world was shaken by a few hateful words from the women who gave her life after she confessed her feelings for a certain pink clad girl, Tommy was there to catch her as she fell. 

Tommy thinks back to the text she missed while at the movies with Zack.

**at our spot.**  
**told them. need you.**

“You _can_ do _this_ , Trini.” Tommy coos as she tightens her embrace, still brushing her hand through Trini’s hair to provide the touch she knows Trini needs. “Breathe, Trini. Please, keep breathing.” She begs. 

As the anxiety attack continues to course through Trini’s small body, she begins to shake and goes from punching Tommy to clawing at her own chest, desperate to catch her breath. Wanting to show her best friend that she wants to do just that, she wants to _keep breathing_. “T-Tommy.” She cries out.

Trini continues to gasp for air as Tommy pulls her impossibly closer. “I’m here, Trin.” She drops her other hand from Trini’s hair to her tear-stained cheek and softly caresses the skin there with just the pads of her fingers. “I’m right here.”

“M-make it go a-away!” Trini whines, still digging her fingernails into her own shirt. 

“It’s gonna pass, babe.” Tommy responds quietly. “You’re going to be okay.”

As minutes go by, Tommy continuously hums and keeps her free hand on Trini, effectively reminding her that she’s there, that she’s not going anywhere. Trini’s breathing slows, her chest rising and falling in an even pattern. “You stayed.” Trini says, surprising Tommy slightly. 

“I’ll always stay, Trini.” Tommy says simply, exhaling deeply as she feels Trini’s body finally relax in her arms. “I’ll never leave you.” 

Trini looks to Tommy and sees the tears threatening to spill from her fear-filled eyes. “Tommy.” She whispers as she moves her still trembling arms and wraps them as tight as she can around Tommy’s waist, the blanket sliding off as she does. “I’m here. Let them go.” 

With that, Tommy releases a choked sob of her own, letting the tears roll down her cheeks. They both stay there, just like that, as more quiet moments pass.

Trini weakly sits up, wrapping an arm around Tommy’s neck and uses her free hand to reach for one of Tommy’s. She brings it up to her chest and rests it over her heart. “It’s beating.” 

Tommy sniffles as she feels the steady _thump, thump, thump_ of Trini’s heart and nods her head. “Do you want to talk about it?” She asks softly, meeting Trini’s gaze.

Trini shakes her head as she nuzzles into Tommy’s neck. “Not yet.” She mumbles. “I don’t want to go back home, Tommy.” 

“Then you’re staying with me.” Tommy responds firmly. 

Trini’s brow furrows as she pulls back and looks Tommy in the eye. “Tommy. Shouldn’t you ask your dad first?” 

“My dad loves you, Trin.” She says matter-of-factly before reaching down to pick up the blanket from the floor. “We’ve talked about it before, actually. You need a safe place and he wants to provide that. We’re here for you.” 

Tears are falling down Trini’s cheeks again and she balls her hands into fists once more, this time using her knuckles to wipe away the tears as quickly as possible.

Tommy sighs as she leans forward and kisses Trini’s forehead. “You don’t have to go through this alone, my love. I know you’re scared and I know you want it all to just…” Tommy cuts herself off, not able to finish the sentence. She takes a deep breath before continuing. “I’m here for you. Kimberly is head over heels in love with you. She’s here for you, too. The boys, they’re here for you, Trini. We’re your family, babe. We’re never going to leave your side.”

Trini just nods, unable to find the words to respond. She uses the balls of her hands to rub her eyes one last time before smiling at Tommy.

“Let’s go home, Trini.” 

\--

“Tommy!” Trini shouts for the fourth time, snapping her fingers in Tommy’s face, the blanket now resting on one of the benches. 

Tommy’s head jerks as she shakes off the memory and looks at Trini with wide, watery eyes. “You’re here.” She whispers sadly. 

Trini gives her a half smile. “I’m here, Tommy.” She replies. “Because of you, I’m here.”

“I love you, Trin.” Tommy quickly pulls Trini into a tight hug as she kisses her forehead, the warmth of Trini’s skin reminding Tommy that the girl in her arms chose to stay that day.

Trini smiles wide this time as she wraps her own arms around Tommy. “I love you too, Tom.”

They stay embraced in each other’s arms for a few moments. Trini is the first to pull away as she grabs the blanket, unfolding it before shaking it out and laying it on the ground. She lays down and pats the open space beside her. “C’mere. I don’t want us to miss it.”

Tommy lays down with her head besides Trini’s, but her body in the opposite direction. Trini turns her head to look at her and Tommy can’t help but smile.

The two spend the next couple of hours just talking and reminiscing as the sun rises above them.

\--

“You’re already back?” Kimberly asks as she runs her hand through her dark locks, a soft yawn escaping. Trini looks up at her wife, smiling as she places the glass bowl she had used for the pancake batter into the sink and goes back to the stove. “And you’re making pancakes?” 

“Morning, sleepy head.” Trini says with a small smile of her own. 

Kimberly strolls up behind Trini, gliding her hands around to Trini’s front. She grips her waist and pulls her closer, their bodies fitting perfectly together. The giggle that Trini lets out causes Kimberly’s heart to melt. She presses a gentle kiss to Trini’s shoulder. “Good morning, baby.”

Trini flips the last pancake onto the platter with the rest, shuts off the burner, and turns in Kimberly’s arms. “We promised Mack pancakes last night, remember?” She says as she leans up on her toes and kisses the corner of her wife’s mouth. 

“We did, didn’t we.” Kimberly replies. “You’re the best mom in the entire world.” 

“Oh, hush.” Trini chuckles as she passes a stack of plates to Kimberly. “Can you help me set the table, please? I’m gonna go tell everyone breakfast is ready.” 

\--

“Mack! Watch out, baby!” Trini shouts as she runs to cover Mackenzie and hurls a snowball at Jason in retaliation. “That was a cheap shot, Scott!” 

Mackenzie grips the bottom of Trini’s jacket, peeking her head out at her side. “Uncle Jason is a cheater!” She shouts. “Mommy said no snow at my little head or pretty face!”

Zack and Kimberly laugh and share a look before they both toss snowballs at Jason, as well. 

“Hey!” Jason yells as he uses his arms to block the snow from hitting his face. 

“You went after the princess, J!” Zack says with a smirk as he picks up two more snowballs from the pile he had made with his teammate, Kimberly.

Kimberly cuts in. “And now you’re gonna pay!” 

Mackenzie gasps lightly as Jason takes a step behind Billy to hide. “Oh, he’s so scared, mama.” She whispers to Trini. 

Trini chuckles as she reaches down and nudges her beanie on her daughter’s head. “Yep.” She replies, emphasizing the last letter with a pop of her lips. Louder she shouts, “Attack!”

Billy ducks out of the way, leaving his fiancee’s side as he runs to block Tommy who’s laughing from where she’s sitting on the porch with a bundled up Kendall in her arms.

“Billy!” Jason yells. “You’re supposed to be on my team!” 

“Awe, Jason, don’t pout. It’s very unbecoming of you.” Tommy says with a smirk as the baby in her arms squirms and giggles.

Mackenzie looks up to her mom with a beaming smile. “Mama, secret play.” She whispers as she picks up a few snowballs. 

Trini nods with a grin as she bends down and helps Mackenzie onto her shoulders, gripping her tightly. She runs towards Jason, who’s focus is on throwing snowballs back at Kimberly and Zack, and laughs wildly when they reach him and Mackenzie drops the snowballs on his head. 

“Ahh!” Jason yells as he begins to jump around because one of Mackenzie’s snowballs slipped down past the neck opening of his shirt. “Cold!”

There’s boisterous laughter filling the cool afternoon air, the family in complete bliss surrounded by each other, big news from the three couples still looming nearby.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ... yes, I cut off the announcements. *hides* But, they're coming. Promise! 
> 
> Hope you enjoyed this update. I know it got kind of deep there, but that Trini/Tommy scene needed a place outside of my head.
> 
> I'd love to hear your thoughts/feedback. :)


	14. Christmas Vacation (Part 4)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Three words: Announcements. Are. Coming. ;) 
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

“Stop being an ass and help me get them down.” 

Zack looks at Trini with a playful smirk. “How’d you even get them up there, tiny?” 

Trini elbows Zack in the gut. “I asked Jason and Billy. Now stop playing and help me get them down, we have so much to do.” 

“Trini, are you sure about all of this? It seems excessive.” 

“Zack!” Trini groans. “My little girl has been freaking out because she’s afraid santa won’t find her all the way out here. It’s your baby girl’s first Christmas. This isn’t too much! They’re little, we gotta embrace these chances to create magic for them before they’re gone.”

Zack smiles as he leans down and kisses the top of Trini’s head. “Okay, little mama.” He says teasingly. “But, only for the girls.” 

He reaches up for the plastic storage bins on the top shelf of the hall closet. “Wait!” Trini yells. “Not that one, those are the presents, Mack can’t see them yet.” 

“So just these two?” Zack asks, pointing at the other two bins. 

“Yes.” Trini says softly. “Sorry, didn’t mean to yell.” 

Zack laughs, pulling down one of the bins and turning to pass it to Trini. “You’re kinda cute when you’re under pressure.” He replies with a wink before reaching for the other bin.

Trini groans as she heads for the living room. “Hurry up! They’ll be back any minute now and I want the tree to be up so our girls can decorate it.”

Zack shakes his head as he catches up to Trini and smirks at her again. “Don’t act like you’re not getting in on that action, Trini. I know you.” 

She blushes as she looks away. “Shut up!” She mumbles. 

\--

“Yo! Why does Kenny have a beer?” Trini says as she takes off her jacket, followed by her beanie and gloves.

Tommy whips her head up to see her daughter sitting in front of the open refrigerator door with a can of beer in her hands, her mouth clamped to the side. “Dammit, I told Zack not to leave those on the bottom shelf.” 

Trini laughs as she crouches down to pick up Kendall and gently removes the can from her small hands, causing an onset of tears and cries. “Shh. It’s okay, pretty girl.” Trini coos as she brings the baby up to her chest and rubs her back, rocking on her feet. “I'll get you something softer for you to bite on.” The baby calms down once Trini grabs her teething toy from the freezer and passes it to her. 

“Thanks, Trin.” Tommy says as she goes back to chopping the vegetables in front of her.

Trini makes her way to Tommy’s side and kisses her cheek. “Don’t be silly.” She looks around the kitchen before looking back at Tommy. “Where are my girls?”

“Mack just had a breakdown when Kim told she couldn’t have a cookie.” Tommy responds, eyes still on the knife and cutting board. “They’re in the girls’ room.”

A sigh comes from Trini as she turns on her heel. “I’ll be right back.” She says to Tommy before she leaves the kitchen with Kendall still on her hip.

“Because I said no, Mackenzie.”

“But that’s not fair!” 

“Mackenzie, I know you’re upset, but you can’t have one until after dinner, okay?”

Trini peeks into the bedroom and sees her daughter pouting with her arms crossed in front of her. Kimberly is sitting on the bed at eye level with the girl.

“No, mommy! I want one now!” Mackenzie shouts, stomping her foot.

Kimberly closes her eyes and pinches the bridge of her nose, taking a deep breath before looking back at her daughter.

“You yelling at me, Mackenzie, isn’t going to make me change my mind.” 

“You’re so mean, mommy!”

“Okay, Mackenzie. I’m going to go now, you need to take some time to calm down.”

Mackenzie scowls and Kimberly stands up to leave the room. 

“You’re the meanest mommy ever!” Mackenzie screams from behind the now closed door. 

Kimberly exhales deeply when she hears Mackenzie throw herself on the bed and covers her face with one of her hands.

“Hey, babe.” Trini whispers, causing Kimberly to look up quickly. “You okay?” 

Kimberly releases a pitiful sounding noise. “Didn’t you hear? I’m the meanest mommy ever.” She shakes her head as she gets closer to Trini, wrapping her arms around her waist. She smiles at Kendall, tapping her nose. “You don’t think I’m mean do you, little one?” 

The girl in Trini’s arms giggles as Trini leans her head on Kimberly’s shoulder.

“Trini, what if we ruined her? What if we spoiled her rotten?” 

“That’s okay, we’ll get another shot with this one.” Trini deadpans as she places her free hand on Kimberly’s stomach.

“That’s not funny, Trini!” Kimberly whines. 

Trini chuckles as she presses a kiss to the side of Kimberly’s head. “It’s a little funny.”

\--

“That took way longer than it should’ve.” Zack says as he slumps down onto the loveseat next to his wife and wraps an arm around her shoulders. 

Tommy leans into him with a grin, gripping his chin before planting a quick kiss on his lips. “Just think, we get to pack it all up on Friday.”

Zack groans and the rest of the group laughs. Billy and Jason are sharing the oversized armchair and Kimberly is sitting on one side of the couch with her legs pulled up while Trini lays across it entirely, her head on Kimberly's lap. 

“Have one of Mack’s cookies, Zack.” Trini says with a chuckle as she reaches forward and slides the plate of decorated cookies Mackenzie left for santa towards him.

“Speaking of Mack, is she okay?” Jason asks curiously. “I've never heard her yell like that before.”

From the corner of her eye, Trini sees Kimberly bite her lip, still somewhat affected by the mean mommy comment, so she speaks up instead. “She's overstimulated, it's been a crazy week between Kim’s parents showing up and spending Christmas away from home.”

Billy looks up with a doubtful expression. “Well yeah, I’m sure that’s a part of it, but I think it’s more that she senses the baby. She’s really intuitive, you know.”

The five others suddenly turn to Billy, various looks of shock and confusion on their faces.

“What baby?” Zack shouts, causing Tommy to wince. He quickly turns to his wife. 

Tommy shakes her head with a chuckle. “Not me.” 

Zack exhales as four pairs of eyes shift to focus on the couple on the couch. Kimberly sighs. “This is not how we were planning to tell you guys.” She says simply. 

Tommy sits up straighter, her eyes wide. “Trin, you’re pregnant?” 

Trini smiles, moving so she’s laying on her back instead of her side and looks up at Kimberly. She reaches up and cups her wife’s cheek lovingly, then nods her head towards the other four. “Go ahead.” She whispers before lowering her hand again. 

“No, I am.” Kimberly smiles as she places her hands on her stomach. 

Zack smirked as Trini kisses Kimberly’s abdomen before turning back look at everyone. “No wonder you were so emotional the other day.” He says with a laugh. “I mean, not that I’m complaining. I am complaining, however, about the fact that you told Billy and not us.”

“Oh, they didn’t tell me. It just made sense.” Billy explains, leaning closer to Jason. 

“What do you mean, B?” Trini asks with a raised eyebrow. 

Billy looks to the ground, gathering the thoughts in his head, before looking back at the group. “Well, we’ve made this trip four times and Kimberly has never gotten sick on the drive. Then, Trini didn’t want to give her medicine. The same Trini that keeps two medicine cabinets fully stocked, just in case. Also, there’s three cartons of butter pecan ice cream in the freezer and the only one who eats that kind is Kim.” 

“Whoa, Billy.” Zack says as he looks to the man with a grin, resting his chin on Tommy’s shoulder. “Really got them all figured out, huh?” 

Tommy laughs softly as she sees Billy blush and nuzzle his head into the crook of Jason’s neck. “Hush, Zack.” She turns to the two on the couch again. “So does Mackenzie know?” 

“Apparently.” Trini replies, one of her hands now resting on Kimberly’s stomach. 

Kimberly scoffs in disbelief before running her hand through Trini’s hair. “We were going to surprise her tomorrow, that’s how you all were supposed to find out, too.” 

“You know surprises don’t work in this family, Kim.” Zack quips. 

Jason turns to kiss Billy’s temple. “Actually, we have a surprise announcement, too.” He says as he pulls away, grinning. 

“What? That you two are finally engaged?” Trini says with a chuckle, winking at Billy. “That’s not really a surprise anymore.”

Tommy and Zack gasp at the same time as they look at each other. “What!” 

Jason shakes his head. “What did we do that made it that obvious?” He asks, looking to Billy with a slight blush. 

Billy laughs, reaching for Jason’s hand as he kisses his cheek. “Nothing, I sort of let it slip at the homecoming game.” 

“And you didn’t tell us!” Zack and Tommy shout together again, their eyes on Trini and Kimberly.

“They were supposed to keep it a secret and act surprised when _we_ told you.” Billy replies, now narrowing his eyes at the women on the couch. 

“Sorry, Billy. You know Trin was going to get you back for the baby thing.” 

“Yeah, yeah.” Billy nods his head with a grin. “But um, yes, I asked Jason to marry me.” He finishes and beams at his fiancee.

“Wait.” Tommy leans forward and rests her elbows on her thighs, all of a sudden extremely curious. “You asked Jason?”

“Yep.” Billy says simply like it’s the most obvious thing in the world and the group breaks out in laughter knowing that Jason does everything at a pace Billy is comfortable with. Something that life changing had to have come from Billy, because Jason would more than likely overthink it. 

As the laughter dies down, Zack nudges Tommy’s shoulder and she nods her head. “Go for it.” 

“Well, since everyone is sharing surprises.” He starts, smiling at Tommy. “We’re moving.”

Trini jumps up, now sitting beside Kimberly with a petrified look on her face. “What the fuck do you mean you’re moving?!” She shouts. 

Kimberly’s eyes go wide as she wraps an arm around Trini’s waist and pulls her close.

Tommy smacks Zack’s arm, covering her eyes with her free hand as she takes a deep breath. “Seriously, Zack?”

Zack bites his lip and looks at Tommy apologetically. 

“What does he mean you’re moving, Tommy?” Trini asks again, softer this time, sadness filling her voice and eyes.

Tommy picks up on it and is quick to explain. “Okay, Trini baby, I need you to relax.” She replies, meeting Trini’s gaze. “We’re not leaving, we’re moving.” 

Kimberly feels the tension leave Trini’s body as she lets out a sigh of relief. She leans close and kisses Trini’s arm gently.

“I’m sorry.” Trini mumbles. “I just. I, uh.” She takes a deep breath to collect herself. “I had a major flashback to when my mom told us we were moving because of her job. It always meant a new town.”

Tommy gives Trini a half smile before reaching for Zack’s hand. “It’s okay, love. Loud mouth over here should’ve thought about it before he said it like that.”

“Where are you moving to?” Jason asks, knowing Trini needs the attention off of her.

“Into my dad’s house.” Tommy replies. “He wants to travel and says we should move in because it’s so much bigger than our place, more room for Kendall and our family to grow. All that good stuff. Plus, we’ll be closer to the restaurant, which he’s also giving us.”

“Your dad is giving you guys the restaurant?!” Kimberly cuts in.

Zack is grinning now, an excited glint in his eyes. “Well, kinda, yes. He’ll still own a part of it, but it’ll mostly be ours.”

Billy claps his hands rapidly. “That’s really great news. You love that place, Zack!” 

“I do. We both do.” He says, resting his head on Tommy’s shoulder again. 

“So what about your house?” Kimberly asks as Trini shifts closer to her, smiling again. 

“We’ll rent it out, I guess?” Tommy replies. “We haven’t really gotten that far yet. Dad brought this all up a couple of days before we left.” 

Jason and Billy share a look before both turning to the couple on the loveseat. “Can we rent it from you?” Jason smiles sheepishly. 

“Yeah.” Billy adds excitedly. “I mean our apartment is great, but it’s so small. And Jason and I have been talking about how nice it would be to have an actual home once we’re married.”

Zack nods and winks when Tommy looks to him while squeezing his hand. “Well, that's settled then.” She says to the guys on the armchair with a smile.

As if on cue, Trini looks at her watch and notices it’s midnight. “Look.” She whispers with a cheesy grin as she raises her wrist for Kimberly to see. “Merry Christmas, baby.” She says louder as she kisses her wife.

The other two couples copy their actions before the six are on their feet, hugging each other.

As they all head off to bed, Trini walks back to the plate on the coffee table and picks up the two remaining cookies then breaks a small piece off of one and puts it back on the plate. She knows Mackenzie will be thrilled to see that _santa_ finished his cookies when she wakes up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... Christmas day was supposed to happen on this update too, but I hit over 2k words when editing and split it again. Whoops!
> 
> The next update will be the last of this Christmas vacation section that was only supposed to be three parts, not five.
> 
> Would love to hear your thoughts/feedback in the comments. :)


	15. Christmas Vacation (Part 5)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's Christmas day.
> 
> Enjoy!

“Mama! Mommy!” Mackenzie shouts as she jumps on her knees at the foot of her mothers’ bed. “Santa came. Santa came! He didn’t forget about me!”

Trini groans as she turns in Kimberly’s arms, smiling when she sees Kimberly looking at her with sleepy eyes. “Hi.” She whispers. 

“Hi.” Kimberly replies as she sluggishly pulls Trini closer, pressing a soft kiss to her collarbone. 

“I’m still here.” Mackenzie says, pulling her mothers out of their trance. “Can we go open our presents now?” 

“Hey, Mack. C’mere.” Trini starts, as she sits up and pulls her hair into a messy bun before scooting over a bit and patting the empty space between her and Kimberly. “Mommy and I need to talk to you, first.”

Mackenzie looks to both of her mothers before crawling up the bed and sitting between them. “About what, mama?” She asks, facing Trini.

“You weren’t very nice to mommy yesterday before dinner, were you?” 

Mackenzie turns to Kimberly and frowns before turning back to Trini. “No.” She whispers.

“Do you know what you did that wasn’t nice, Mackenzie?” Kimberly asks.

Mackenzie nods her head slowly as she looks to Kimberly. “I yelled.”

They wait a moment to see if their daughter says more. When she doesn’t, Trini looks to Kimberly before talking again. “And what else, Mackenzie?”

The girl looks back to Trini with watery eyes before turning back to Kimberly. “I said you were mean, but I didn’t mean it mommy.” 

Mackenzie moves a bit and Trini knows tears are coming, so she’s fast to speak up again. “Are you supposed to yell at mommy and call her names?” 

“No.” Mackenzie says as she shifts her attention to Trini again. “I really didn’t mean it, mama. I was just angry.” A single tear trickles down her cheek .

“Mackenzie, did you apologize to mommy for hurting her feelings?”

Trini watches as Mackenzie’s eyes go wide once realization hits her. “No.” She whispers again.

“Don’t you think you should?” Trini replies simply. 

Mackenzie moves again, this time into Kimberly’s lap as she wraps her small arms around her mother’s neck. “I’m sorry, mommy.” She cries. “I’m sorry I hurt your feelings.” 

Kimberly rubs her daughter’s back as her tears fall to her shirt. “I forgive you.” She replies, as she looks back at Trini.

“Hey, Mack.” Trini says, pulling her daughter’s attention back to the matter. The girl pulls away from Kimberly and looks at Trini with sad eyes. “This is your one warning.” Trini raises her index finger for emphasis. “If it happens again, mommy and I are going to have to take something away. Do you understand?” 

The girl nods her head. 

“Mackenzie.” Kim says, expecting more of a response from the girl. 

“I understand.” 

\--

Billy is tucked into Jason’s side on the loveseat as they adoringly watch their nieces open presents with their parents.

“A new lego set!” Mackenzie squeals as she looks to Jason and Billy, holding up the box. “This is my favorite one because I can make whatever I want!”

Billy grins, the gift being his idea. “Like it, pretty girl?” He asks.

“I love it!” She replies, smiling wide. “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you!”

“You’re welcome, Mack.” Jason says as he pulls Billy closer.

Trini and Kimberly smile at the couple with grateful eyes. “You’re the best.” Trini mouths. 

Kendall is on Tommy’s lap and makes grabby hands as she reaches for another present. “Here you go, baby girl.” Zack says softly as he puts another wrapped box in his daughter’s hands.

Tommy quickly reads the gift label before the baby’s tiny hands tear through it. 

**To: Kendall  
From: Mario and June**

She looks up to see Trini smiling right at her and raises an eyebrow. Trini replies with a wink and then blows her a kiss. Zack notices and smiles, knowing there was no way June was going to leave Kendall off of her Christmas shopping list.

“This one is so light.” Mackenzie says as she picks up her last wrapped present. “It almost feels empty.” She finishes as she starts to peel the tape off slowly, opening presents without tearing the paper is something she picked up from Billy.

Kimberly, knowing what's inside, reaches for Trini’s hand and squeezes it hard as she bites her lip. Trini squeezes back and places a gentle, comforting kiss on Kimberly’s cheek. 

Mackenzie adds the now neatly folded wrapping paper to the top of the pile with the rest and opens the plain white box in her hands. Her eyes go wide as she pulls out a sonogram. On the side was a yellow heart-shaped sticky note with the words _I can’t wait to meet you_ written in pink marker.

The room goes quiet, waiting for a reaction from the girl who is still staring at the photo in her hands. That’s when she looks to Tommy. “This one doesn’t have your name, Aunt Tommy.” She says as she points to the words in the top corner. “That’s a K.”

Kimberly squeezes Trini’s hand again, anticipating her daughter finding out about her sibling.

Mackenzie gasps lightly when it hits her and whips her head back to her mother. “That’s your name, mommy.” She turns completely, facing both Trini and Kimberly. “Mommy, why does it say your name?”

Trini smiles as Kimberly leans forward and points to the baby on the sonogram. “Because that’s your baby sister or brother.”

Kendall babbles and Tommy pulls her closer as she leans her head on Zack’s shoulder. Billy and Jason embrace each other tighter. Kimberly and Trini are still holding hands. They all have their eyes on the oldest child as the baby news lingers in the air for a bit.

“No, thank you.” She says sweetly as she reaches her hand with the sonogram out towards her moms. “I don’t want a baby.”

Zack snorts as he ruffles Mackenzie’s hair. “I don’t think it works that way, Mack.” 

“Aren’t you excited to be a big sister?” Jason asks from the loveseat. 

“No.” The girl responds shaking her head. “I don’t want to be a big sister, I don’t want a baby brother.”

Tommy sits up, adjusting her grip on her daughter and looks to Mackenzie. “Why not, Mack?” She asks the girl. 

Mackenzie looks to her aunt. “These are my mommies, I don’t want to share.”

“Mackenzie.” Trini says, pulling her daughter’s attention to her. “C’mere, pretty girl.” She pats her lap, signaling for her daughter to sit. 

The girl does as asked and then nuzzles her head into Trini’s neck, wrapping her arms around her neck. “I don’t want a baby, mama.” 

Kimberly sighs, then frowns and lets go of Trini’s hand, allowing her wife to wrap her arms around their daughter’s small frame. Zack reaches an arm around Kimberly’s waist and pulls her to his other side, kissing her head. “Don’t worry, Trini’s got this.” He whispers. 

“Princess, look at me.” Trini says softly, coaxing her daughter who’s now meeting her gaze. She cups her cheek and smiles. “I was only a little bit older than you when I found out about my brothers and I was sad and upset, too. I didn’t want to share my mommy and daddy either, but you know what?” 

Mackenzie blinks once. “What mama?”

“I love Daniel and Diego so, so much. When I was little, I never had anyone to hang out with at home because it was just me and then the boys made my life so much better. When I was bored, we would go outside and play. When we were tired, we would make a blanket fort and watch movies and your abuelita would bring us a huge bowl of popcorn with pretzels and chocolate candies. And this one time, I got really sick and I had to stay in bed for three whole days. Daniel and Diego came into my room with coloring books and crayons and stayed with me so I wasn’t alone and sad.”

A small smile appears on Mackenzie’s face causing Trini to stop and smile back. The other five watching contently as she continues talking.

“It’s okay to feel what you’re feeling, Mack. I remember how scared you were when you found out about Kenny. But mommy and I love you so much, princess. We always will and a new baby doesn’t mean that you’re not our baby anymore.”

“That’s right, baby.” Kimberly says, now at Trini’s side, as she runs a hand through Mackenzie’s hair. “Nothing is going to change, we’ll always love you and you’ll always be our little girl. Our family is just growing. You’re gonna be a big sister. Mama and I are excited about that and we want you to be, too.”

Mackenzie ponders the idea, the photo still in her hand. You could practically see the gears in her head turning. She lifts it and points to the sticky note. “What does that say, mommy?”

“It says _I can’t wait to meet you_ , sweetheart.” Kimberly replies. 

The girl finally smiles wide and brings the sonogram to her lips, kissing it softly. “I can’t wait to meet you, baby brother.” She whispers. 

Trini’s brow furrows. “Mack, we don’t know it’s a little brother yet.”

“I know.” Mackenzie says simply, reaching a hand towards Kimberly’s stomach. “And he’s gonna be my best friend.” 

Billy looks to Jason as Tommy looks to Zack and Kimberly looks to Trini, all of them smiling.

There’s a moment of silence that’s broken when Kendall squeals and Mackenzie laughs as she moves towards the baby. “Aunt Tommy, can we play with one of Kenny’s new toys?”

“Of course.” Tommy says as her and Zack occupy themselves with the girls. 

Billy and Jason slide down off of the loveseat and join in. 

Trini looks to her wife who meets her gaze. “She said brother.” Kimberly whispers. “Twice.” 

“I know.” Trini smirks. “I told you it was a boy.” She finishes as she leans forwards and kisses Kimberly before they both join the others to enjoy the rest of Christmas day. 

\--

“Trini!” Kimberly shouts, her hand quickly covering her mouth. “Get those away from me!”

Trini looks down at the bag of chile limón chips she had just opened with a curious eye then looks to her wife with a raised eyebrow. It clicks and Trini jumps off of the couch, the culprit of Kimberly’s sudden heaving in her grasp. She drops them on the kitchen counter before rushing back to her wife. 

Kimberly has the trash can pulled up to her chest and Trini is quick to gather her hair and secures it out of the way using the elastic she keeps on her wrist. She rubs Kimberly’s back until she lowers the trash can back down to the floor. “I’m okay.” Kimberly mutters. “Sorry.” 

“Baby, you don’t have to be sorry.” Trini whispers softly. “It happens.”

Kimberly looks to Trini with watery eyes and frowns. “Can you help me to the room?” She asks softly, her hands finding her stomach. “I don’t feel too good.”

“Yeah.” Trini replies with a nod. “Of course, baby.” 

Trini helps Kimberly stand up, a hand firmly on her lower back as Kimberly wraps an arm around Trini’s neck. She guides Kimberly up the stairs to their room and helps her onto the bed, pulling the elastic out so her hair falls freely as she lays back against the pillow. 

“Do you need anything?” Trini asks as she brushes a lock of Kimberly’s hair behind her ear.

Kimberly shakes her head as she turns to her side, curling in on herself. “Just water.”

Trini nods again as she heads out of the room, slowly closing the door behind her.

On her way back down the stairs, she sees Mackenzie running towards her with a finished lego creation in her hands. “Mackenzie, you know we don’t run inside the house.”

“Sorry, mama.” She quickly replies as she slows down. 

“Where are you going?” Trini asks as Mackenzie reaches her. 

The girl raises the colorful plastic structure in her hands to show Trini. “I want to show mommy the car I made with Uncle Billy.”

“That looks really awesome, pretty girl.” Trini says as she crouches down to pull Mack into a side hug. “But mommy isn’t feeling well, so we need to let her rest.”

“Is she vominating again?” The girl asks sadly. 

As she pulls away from her daughter, Mackenzie’s expression changes into a worried one and Trini smiles. “She’s okay, baby. Her tummy is just…” Trini looks away to find the right word.

“Full?” Mackenzie offers with a giggle.

“Yeah, yeah. Mommy’s tummy is full.” Trini chuckles. “So let’s put this away and you can show her when she’s feeling better, okay?” 

“Okay, mama.” Mackenzie replies as she kisses her mom’s cheek.

\--

“Jason, stop it and just come inside, please.” Trini says, as she wraps her arms around one of Jason’s. “We can unpack the van in the morning.”

Trini smiles when Jason rests his head on hers. “I just needed some fresh air, little T.” Jason replies as he kisses her hair. “The drive home is always the worst.” 

“Yeah, I know what you mean.”

Jason guides her towards the swing on her front porch. “Come, sit with me for a bit?” He asks softly.

“Yeah, of course, J.” She says as the both sit. “Are you okay?” 

“I’m great, Trin.” He nudges her shoulder with his own and she lays her head against his arm, smiling. “I’m so happy and that scares me a little.” 

“Oh, J.” Trini says quickly turning to wrap her arms around his waist, hugging him tightly. “You don’t have to be afraid, silly. We’ve talked about this.” 

“I know.” He replies, hugging her back. “It’s just hard.” 

“Hard to believe. Hard to accept. Hard to let yourself enjoy it because you don’t think you deserve it.” Trini pulls back to look in his eyes. “I know it’s hard, J, but trust me when I say that you _do_ deserve it.”

Jason gives her a half smile before shaking his head. 

“Jason, you do!” She repeats a little louder, playfully punching him.

He laughs and pulls her close again. “I love you, Trin. You know that right?” 

“Are you gonna get all soft on me, Scott?” She asks with a cheeky grin. 

Jason smirks back at her. “I need to tell you something.” 

“Shoot.” She says, settling against his arm again.

“When Billy and I get married, I want you to be at my side.” 

Trini turns her head slightly to find his gaze with her eyes. “Me? Why me?” 

“Because, Trin. Without your bravery, I probably never would’ve found the courage to ask Billy out all those years ago. It’s because of you that we’re together and when we get married, it’s you that I want to pass me the ring to put on his finger.” 

Tears fill Trini’s eyes as she goes to hug Jason again. “I’d be honored.” She replies simply.

Jason smiles wide as he kisses her forehead before patting her thigh. “We should get inside.”

“Wait. I have one condition.” 

“Shoot.” Jason says, mimicking her earlier response. 

She smirks this time. “I get to wear a tux.”

“I got you.” He replies with a hearty laugh as they both stand to head inside.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Confession: I had to watch a few Christmas movies on Netflix to get myself to finish this chapter and it still feels a bit lackluster... :/ Even though I was really excited about it. 
> 
> Let me know your thoughts and feedback in the comments, I truly appreciate it. :)


	16. Birthday Party

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last few days have been pretty rough, causing a delay in this update. But, I'm finally done editing. ( _Yay_!)
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

“Mija, how can I help?” 

Kimberly shakes her head as she tries to shoo her mother-in-law out of the room. “June, you’re visiting. Please, go spend some time with the kids.” She finishes as her eyes well up with tears.

June rushes to her side and rubs soothing circles to her back. “Oh, honey. What’s wrong?”

“It’s nothing.” Kimberly replies, shaking her head again. “I’m sorry.” 

“Obviously something is bothering you, Kimberly, do you want to talk about it?”

Kimberly turns to face June and starts crying. “My daughter hates me.” She whimpers. 

“Mackenzie doesn’t hate you.” June says as she hugs Kimberly tightly. When she pulls away, she grabs both of her hands and squeezes them tightly. “Why do you say that?” 

“We followed all of the advice, June.” Kimberly starts. “We talked to her, we walked her through the stages of the pregnancy, she did all of the countdowns, we let her take the progress pictures, we even had one of those elective ultrasounds where the tech let her find the baby and listen to his heartbeat, but she’s still resisting.” 

“But she loves Morgan, she’s kissing and hugging him all of the time. I’ve seen her.” 

Kimberly nods, more tears falling down her cheeks. “Yes, she’s in love with her baby brother, it’s me she’s resisting.” 

“Oh.” June replies simply with a chuckle. “You mean she won’t let you kiss her goodnight or hug her in the morning? She wants Trini to read to her and bathe her and buckle her in?” 

Kimberly’s eyes go wide in shock. “How did you know?” 

“Because Trini pulled the exact same thing with the twins.” June says, laughing again. “Oh, it was the worst. She wouldn’t let me pick out her clothes or brush her hair, Mario even had to make her special meals because she wouldn’t eat anything I made.”

“Well, Mack is definitely Trini’s child then.” Kimberly says as she sighs and looks at June with a small frown. “How’d you get her to stop?” 

“Honestly? I signed her out of school early one day and we got mani-pedis.” 

A full on chortle escapes from Kimberly. “Trini at a nail salon? I’d pay to see that!” 

June is laughing along now. “I have pictures.” She replies with a wink. 

“Yes!” Kimberly smirks. “You’ll have to show me next time we’re over. But, wait, it worked?” 

The older woman nods her head. “Oh, yeah. We went to the salon, got our nails done, stopped for ice cream on the way home and when we pulled into the driveway, she jumped out of her seat to kiss my cheek and hug me, said I was the best mom ever.” 

“Mackenzie’s party isn’t until three tomorrow, I can totally sneak in a spa day before then.” 

June smiles at Kimberly encouragingly. “And you know how much the princess loves surprises.”

“Thank you so much, June.” Kimberly says as she hugs her mother-in-law.

“It’s no problem, mija. Now, how can I help?” She asks, nodding her head towards the obnoxious amount of craft supplies on the table.

Kimberly rolls her eyes playfully as she sits down and pulls out a chair for June before holding out a glue gun. 

\--

“I can’t believe Mackenzie is six today.” 

Trini laughs as she finishes icing the last cupcake and licks the remaining frosting off of the offset spatula. “I can’t believe you’re pregnant.”

Tommy smiles as she looks down at her baby bump before looking back at Trini. “It hit me last night that I’ll have two kids under two in January and I kind of freaked out.”

“Did you send Zack on a donut run?” 

“Is the sky blue, Trini?” 

Trini bursts into laughter as she walks up to Tommy and kisses her cheek before crouching down a bit and cradling her stomach. “You’re making your mommy cra… _oh, wow!_ You’re a tough little one, aren’t you?”

Tommy laughs lightly as she places a hand over Trini’s. “Did you feel that?” 

“I did, kid’s strong.” 

“Tell me about it. Voices always get him kicking.” 

Suddenly, a cry filters into the air from the monitor sitting on the kitchen counter and Trini stands back up. “Duty calls.” She says with a chuckle. “I’ll be right back.” At the entryway of the kitchen, she quickly turns back to Tommy who’s already made her way around the island. “Tommy! You leave those cupcakes alone, they’re for the party.” 

“Oh, bite me!”

\-- 

Kimberly and Mackenzie are in plush, bright pink robes with chocolate face masks on as they sip on pink lemonade from plastic champagne flutes while they get their pedicures. 

“It’s your birthday, princess, you can pick whatever color you want.”

Mackenzie’s face lights up for the hundredth time that day as she turns to her mom. “Will you get the same one so we can be twins?”

“Yes!” Kimberly replies enthusiastically. “So which color are we getting.” 

The girl looks back to the rack of nail polishes on the wall across from them. “I think I’m gonna pick…” She squints her eyes and then smiles when her eyes open all the way again. “Yellow!” 

“That’s a great choice.” The technician says with a smile as she stands up to retrieve the bottle.

Kimberly takes the brief alone moment with her daughter as an opportunity. “Are you having fun, baby?” She asks softly, biting her lip anxiously.

“Yes!” The girl replies as she beams at her mother. “I’m having so much fun! I love you, mommy!”

Kimberly can’t hold back the dorky smile now on her face. “I love you, too.”

The technician makes her way back and sits down in front of them again. “I heard your mom say it was your birthday, how old are you today?” 

Mackenzie shifts her attention to the young women in front of her and smiles. “I’m six.” The girl holds up six of her fingers. “I have to use two hands now.”

Both Kimberly and the technician chuckle.

\-- 

“Zack.” Jason whisper shouts. “Zack!”

Zack looks up from the grill with an annoyed look on his face. “Dude, what? You know if I burn this round, Kim will have my head on a platter.” 

“That’s gonna be the least of Kimberly’s worries.” He says urgently. “Why the fuck are Amanda and Ty walking up our girls’ driveaway?”

“What?!” Zack shouts as he goes to the gate and looks over, spotting the couple, before turning back to Jason. “Okay, we have to do something. We can’t let them ruin Mackenzie’s big day.”

The sound of the doorbell can be heard from the open back door. “Shit.” Jason mutters. “You stay, don’t burn the burgers, I’ve got the girls.” 

Zack nods as he turns back to flip the patties on the grill as Jason rushes past a few guests towards Trini and Tommy in the kitchen. “Where’s Kim?” 

“She’s in the living room with Morgan, why? What’s wrong?” Trini replies with a raised brow.

Jason looks towards the living room to see Kimberly on her feet. “Stop her, that’s Ty and Amanda at the door.”

“What?!” Tommy shouts, instinctively moving closer to Trini. 

“Yo, cool it.” Trini says with a small smile. “They’re just dropping off Junior.”

Tommy and Jason share a look before Mackenzie runs in from outside, bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet. “He’s here, mama! C’mon, he’s here!” Mackenzie grabs her mom’s hand and pulls her towards the living room. 

“J, what’s happening?” Tommy asks, a worried expression still on her face. 

Jason shrugs. “I don’t know, but those two made high school hell for Kim and Trini, I’m not about to let them make them uncomfortable in their own home.” 

“Agreed.” Tommy replies instantly as they both rush towards the front of the house. 

Amanda is the one talking when the get to the entryway of the living room, still out of sight. “Thanks for having him, it’s all he’s been talking about all week.”

“It’s no problem, really.” Kimberly replies, as she adjusts the baby in her arms.

Trini nods in agreement before looking back from the two kids who are laughing and talking on one of the couches. “Are you sure you don’t want to stay?”

“Oh, no.” Ty says, shifting from one foot to the other. “We don’t want to impose. Our kids are friends, that doesn’t mean we have to be.”

Kimberly looks to Trini whose lips are pursed, knowing she’s glad the answer was no. “Okay, well it should be over at 6.” She says, looking back to the couple at the door. “We’ll see you then?” 

“We’ll see you then.” Amanda replies simply. “Please call us if you need us.” 

“We will, we promise.” Trini says. “Thanks for letting him come.” 

Ty and Amanda both nod as they turn on their heels to leave as Kimberly shuts the door. 

Trini rolls her eyes when she notices two shadows. “You two done hovering?” 

Tommy shoves Jason playfully and they both walk into the living room. “We were just making sure you were okay.” Tommy says softly, wrapping an arm around Trini’s shoulders. 

“This is crazy, right?” Kimberly asks with a laugh. “I thought I’d never have to deal with them again and all of a sudden, our kindergarteners are best friends.”

“Definitely crazy.” Jason replies while shaking his head. “Are you sure you’re okay, though?” 

“Yeah, yeah. I’m good.” Kimberly smiles as Morgan stirs a bit in her arms. “We had them over for coffee last week, just to set some ground rules.”

Trini turns to kiss Tommy’s cheek before shrugging out of her hold to kiss Jason’s. “I love you guys for making sure, though.” She says softly and turns to her wife. “Let me put him in his crib, babe.”

“Okay, baby.” Kimberly replies as she passes their son to Trini and turns to face Tommy and Jason. “I’ll get the kids outside and finish the punch. Can you two make sure Zack isn’t burning all the food?” 

“On it, boss.” Jason replies with a smirk, moving out of the way before Kimberly smacks him.

Tommy laughs as she smacks his arm instead before pulling him behind her. 

\--

“Which ones are the children again?” Mario teases as he points the neck of his beer bottle towards Trini and Tommy who are dancing around singing with giant rainbow swirl lollipops as microphones beside Mackenzie and Kendall who are doing the same. 

Thomas laughs, shaking his head. “Our daughters haven’t changed a bit, have they?” He replies before taking a drink from his own bottle. 

“Except that now they’re mothers.” Mario says with a fond smile as he admires the girls in front of them again.

Thomas nods in agreement. “Amazing mothers.”

“What are you two going on about?” June asks as she takes a seat next to her husband. 

Mario chuckles as he leans back to kiss his wife’s cheek. “We’re just admiring the girls.” He replies softly.

“The little ones or the big ones?” She asks playfully as she snags the bottle from Mario and takes a drink.

Thomas laughs again, before facing June. “Both. We did good, didn’t we?”

June winces a bit, but nods her head.

Mario takes note and reaches for her hand. “We did good, Tom. We did good.” He says, squeezing his wife’s hand to reassure her.

\--

“Uncle Billy!” Mackenzie shouts as she runs to the front door.

Billy catches the girl before she collides with him. “Hi, pretty girl. Happy birthday!”

“Thank you!” She smiles up at him. “We saved you a cupcake, c’mon.” The girl rushes off towards the dining room where the rest of the family is resting after a long day.

Jason walks up behind his husband and wraps an arm around his waist. “Did your team meet the deadline?” He asks.

“We did, but I don’t want to talk about that right now.” Billy responds softly.

Jason nods his head with a frown. “Okay, let’s get you some sugar, babe.” He replies, grabbing Billy’s hand and pulling him towards the dining room. 

Trini is sitting on Tommy’s lap, both of them giggling. Kimberly is standing behind them rocking Morgan and laughing as Zack finishes telling the girls sitting across from him another joke. 

Mackenzie takes a deep breath after her laughing fit. “Okay, my turn. Knock, knock.” 

“Who’s there.” Zack replies, a grin on his face.

“To.”

“To who?” 

Mackenzie takes a second to smile before responding. “To infinity and deyond!” 

The entire group breaks out in laughter. “I guess we know what the girls watched during movie night at Billy and Jason’s.” Kimberly says, her lips still turned up in a smile.

“It’s your turn, Uncle Jason.” Mackenzie turns to the men now sitting at the end of the table.

"Okay, um. Why do seagulls fly over the sea?"

Mackenzie’s brows furrow. "I don't know, why?"

"Because if they flew over the bay, they would be bagels."

There’s a beat of silence before the girl raises an eyebrow. “Uncle Jason.” Mackenzie replies in a serious tone, shaking her head. “Nobody got that.” 

The room fills with laughter again, as the youngest girl yawns and rubs her eye with a small fist. She looks to Zack with watery eyes. “Da-dy.” She whines, reaching for him. 

“Geez, J. That was so bad you practically put Kenny to sleep.” Trini quips.

Jason pouts causing Billy to place a hand on his thigh as he chuckles. 

Tommy laughs and nudges Trini. “We should go, she’s finally sleeping through the night and this one finally calmed down.” She finishes with a hand on her stomach.

Trini nods as she kisses Tommy’s cheek before standing up, moving towards Zack. “You make sure my girls get their rest, okay.” She says before kissing his cheek, too. 

Zack stands and pulls her into a hug, kissing the top of her head. “Of course.” 

Once the couple leaves, Kendall in tow, Billy moves to sit next to Mackenzie. “I’m sorry I missed your party, Mack. Did you have fun?”

“I did, do you want your cupcake now? And then we can go look at my presents. My lito and lita got me a telescope!” Mackenzie is beaming at Billy. 

Billy gasps lightly, engaging with the girl. “A telescope?! I have to see it.”

The girl is on her feet, pulling Billy along as she grabs his cupcake from the kitchen counter and then leads him to the living room where her presents are.

Jason watches in awe before Kimberly takes a seat next to him, Morgan now asleep in her arms. “Penny for your thoughts?” She asks.

Trini takes a seat beside her wife and kisses her son’s forehead gently before resting her head against Kimberly’s arm. “Yeah, J. What’s up?” 

Jason shifts his attention to Kimberly and Trini. “He loves that little girl so much.” 

“She loves him so much, too.” Trini responds. 

The three turn back to the two as they examine the girl’s gift with matching smiles and curious eyes. Mackenzie nods as Billy points out the different features. He then sits cross-legged on the floor and she sits on his lap.

Mackenzie smiles again as Billy pulls the liner off of his cupcake and breaks the bottom off, placing it on top of the frosting to make what resembles a sandwich. He offers the girl a bite and she giggles when he presses his index finger over his mouth before taking a bite himself.

Kimberly and Trini share a look and turn to Jason as he lifts a hand to rest over his heart. “ _He’d make an incredible father._ ” He thinks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know your thoughts/feedback in the comments, it really helps me stay motivated to finish the story.
> 
> A hint for what's ahead... 4 kids vs. 2 adults + Halloween. It's gonna be FUN! ;)


	17. Happy Halloween

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is Halloween! ;) 
> 
> I feel like I should start this with an update on ages because I jumped over a year... aka I'm anxious to write more about the kids being kids and not babies. lol
> 
> So... Mackenzie just turned 7, Kendall is 2 1/2, Morgan is 15 months, and Carson is 9 months.
> 
> We'll also be introduced to someone new.
> 
> Please, enjoy! :)

“His name is Ray, he’s 5 and a half.” Billy says with a wide smile. 

“We get to bring him home next week.” Jason adds with a matching smile. “We hope you all love him as much as we do.” 

Trini leans forward to grab Jason’s hand between both of her own. “Jason, he’s gonna be your son. Of course we’re going to love him.”

Kimberly and Zack nod in agreement as Tommy smiles. “So when do we get to meet him?” 

“Well, that’s kind of what we wanted to talk to you guys about.” Billy replies. “We were hoping we could use Halloween as a chance to get everyone together.” 

“Right.” Jason adds. “But because trick-or-treating may be a little too much for him right off the bat, we were hoping we could have like a small Halloween party, just the family.” 

Grins appear on Zack and Kimberly’s faces as they share a look. “Halloween party!” They squeal at the time. 

“Great!” Trini says with a laugh. “You set off the Trouble Twins.” 

“We knew they’d be up for it.” Billy says with a laugh of his own. “But that only gives us about two weeks, do you two think you can pull it off?”

“Billy, my man, look who you’re talking to.” Zack responds while gesturing to himself and Kimberly. “We _so_ got this!”

Kimberly is nodding again, a gleam in her eyes. “We’re gonna throw the best Halloween party ever, your little Ray is gonna love it. All the kids are. I’m so excited!” 

“So who’s house are we doing it at?” Tommy asks, the excitement starting to fill the room. “I know our place is the biggest, but Trin and Kim have that new playroom.” 

“Actually, having it at Jason and Billy’s is probably the best idea.” Trini says softly. 

All eyes turn to focus on her as Jason speaks up. “Why’s that, little T?” 

“You guys have a room set up for Ray, right?” She looks up to Billy and Jason as they reply with a nod. “Well, if he gets overwhelmed or just needs some space, it’s best for him to have a place he’ll be familiar with to escape to, no? He’ll already be adjusting to a lot, we want to make sure he’s as comfortable as possible.” 

Kimberly wraps an arm around Trini’s waist and pulls her close, kissing the side of her head. “My girl, you say smart things.” 

The group laughs as Trini shakes her head before wrapping her own arms around Kimberly’s waist, nuzzling up against her. 

“Well I guess that’s settled then.” Zack says with a grin.

\-- 

“Mackenzie is a little bit older than you, bud.” 

Ray tilts his head a bit as he looks back down at the photo frame in front of him. “But she’s so small.” The boy says simply causing both Jason and Billy to laugh. 

“Well, yeah, but she’s still older.” 

“Okay.” Ray replies. “And then it’s Kendall, Morgan, and Carson?” His finger pointing to each of the kids in the photo.

“That’s right.” Billy says, smiling. “They’re all so excited to meet you.”

Ray looks up at Billy and Jason with doubtful eyes. “What happens if they don’t like me?” The boy asks in a whisper.

Jason reaches out to hold Ray’s hand when the boy pulls it back, causing Billy to bite his lip anxiously. Jason takes a quick breath. “Buddy, I know this is all still new and a little scary, but we’re gonna be right there with you. If anything happens or if you don’t feel comfortable, all you have to do is talk to us. Okay?”

The boy looks to Billy who nods with another small smile before looking back to Jason. “Okay. Can I go to my room now?”

“Sure, we’ll call you down for dinner.”

Once the footsteps on the stairs stop, Billy turns to Jason with a worried expression. “Are we rushing into this?”

“I don’t think so.” Jason replies as he stands, placing a hand softly on Billy’s shoulder. “He’s nervous, yes, but I still sense some excitement there, babe.”

“I just don’t want to push him into something he’s not ready for.” Billy says softly.

Jason gives Billy a half smile before kissing his forehead. “He’s gonna be fine.”

\-- 

“That’s why we’re counting on you, Mack.” Trini says as she brushes Mackenzie’s hair. 

Kimberly looks up from Morgan who’s sleeping on her lap to her daughter. “The little kids are still too young to understand, but you’re about the same age as him. We need your help to make him feel welcome and like he’s a part of our family.”

“Do you think you can do that, princess?” Trini asks the girl.

“I think so.” Mackenzie responds with a smile before turning her head to face Trini. “But mama, what if he doesn’t like me?”

Trini chuckles as she nudges the girl’s head forward again to get out the last of the tangles. “You were worried about Kenny not liking you either when you first met her. It’s okay to feel like that, baby, but I’m sure he will. It may take him some time to adjust, but I know you two are going to end up loving each other just like you love your other cousins and they love you.” 

“Okay, mama. I’ll do my bestest.” Mackenzie smiles as Trini hands her the hairbrush.

“That’s all we ask, Mackenzie.” Kimberly leans in to kiss her daughter’s cheek, before patting her thigh gently. “Go brush your teeth, mama and I will be right there to read with you.”

\-- 

“Look at how handsome you look!” Candace raves as she looks up from the veggie tray she’s arranging to look like a pumpkin.

Ray has on dark skinny jeans and a Superman t-shirt under a white button-up with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, a pair of red suspenders over it all. Both shirts are tucked in, but the buttons of the white shirt are undone, except for the last one. A royal blue tie is around the collar, disheveled on purpose. The costume is completed with simple black low cut Converse and black glasses with the lenses taken out. 

Billy took Ray's request of being Clark Kent for Halloween seriously and Jason was totally on board. They both are in matching Superman shirts to show their support. The boy looks up at them with a small smile before looking back to Candace. “Thank you.” He replies sheepishly.

Candace nods in response. “Would you like to help me finish the food for the party?”

“I can help?” Ray asks in a soft voice, after hesitating a bit.

The women has to hold back her frown. “Of course. C’mon, sweetheart.” She finishes, pulling out a chair for him to sit beside her.

\--

“Am I pwetty, grandpa?” Kendall asks as she twirls in her ringmaster costume. Her bright red tutu flutters a bit as she turns. The black jacket over her white button-up shirt has gold tassel trim and buttons along with gold epaulettes on the shoulders with red fringe. Her hair is in a cute messy bun and a small top hat with gold accents and a tiny bunch of red roses on one side is secured on her head with a plastic black headband. The finishing touch is a pair of black combat boots that were a birthday gift from Trini and Kimberly.

“You’re absolutely pretty, little one.” Thomas replies, leaning down to kiss to her cheek.

“Dad, can you take a picture before you go?” Tommy asks as she hands him her camera.

Thomas nods with a smile. “Of course, honey, where are the boys?” 

“Right here, dad.” Zack says as he turns the corner with Carson in his arms. The infant in an absolutely adorable lion costume, his little hands pulling at one of the fabric pieces of the mane.

Tommy is sporting a striped black and white shirt with a black circle skirt secured by a pair of black suspenders. She also has on thigh-high black and white stockings with simple black heels.

Zack is in a matching shirt and suspenders, black slacks instead of a skirt and shiny black dress shoes instead of heels. Both have black berets and white gloves on as accessories. 

“Nobody told me the circus was in town.” Thomas quips as he lifts the camera to his eye. 

“Dad!” Tommy chuckles. “Don’t be such a dork.” 

\--

“Kimberly!” Trini whines. “I never agreed to this, I told you I wasn’t dressing up.”

“Babe, it barely counts as a costume.” Kimberly semi-shouts from the master bathroom where she’s finishing with Mackenzie’s hair. “Will you just put it on, please!” 

“Mama, hurry. We can’t be late!” 

Trini holds up the plain black shirt she knows will fit her snuggly before sighing and rolling her eyes. “This is worse than last year.” She mutters to her son on the bed as she pulls the shirt on.

Morgan giggles as he continues to pick at the bird beside the large letter _T_ and above the word _BIRDS_ , it all stitched onto the back of the small leather jacket in his hands. “Bird, bird!” He’s clad in a plain white t-shirt with black jeans that are rolled at the bottom, showing off his white socks and all black Converse. His hair is brushed up and back with a small curl sticking out right at the middle of his forehead.

“I’m sorry mommy is crazy.” Trini whispers playfully as she kisses Morgan’s cheek before sitting on the bed to slide off her basketball shorts, replacing them with black chino pants followed by white crew socks and black dress shoes. She finishes with a simple black belt.

Mackenzie skips out of the bathroom in a striped black and white shirt with a pink jacket, _Pink Ladies_ embroidered on the back. She’s wearing black capri leggings and a pair of black flats with a small satin bow and a single strap that goes over her foot. “Do you like my costume, mama?” The girl asks as she flips her high ponytail that has a black bandana tied around it.

“I love it, princess.” Trini replies as she stands up and pulls Mackenzie into a hug. “You and mommy did a good job on everyone’s costume.”

The girl smiles wide. “Wait until you see mommy’s. She looks _so_ beautiful.” 

“I can’t wait.” Trini chuckles. “Can you watch Morgan while I go brush my hair, please?”

“Yep!” The girl says cheerfully as she hops on the bed and starts to play with her little brother.

Trini is barely in the bathroom for a second when the door closes. She turns and comes face to face with her wife, causing her jaw to drop. 

Kimberly is in a black off shoulder top that’s hugging her body just right and black faux leather leggings with a stretch belt around her waist. Her hair is curled and pinned up on one side. The red lipstick on her lips matches the red pumps on her feet perfectly. 

“You look. I uh. _Wow_.”

Trini actually whimpers when Kimberly takes a step into her space and licks her lips insanely slow. “Tell me about it, stud.”

Trini groans and throws her head back. “Fuck me.” She whimpers. 

“That’s the plan, babe.” Kimberly retorts as she grabs the buckle of Trini’s belt and pulls her closer, kissing her lips hard.

When she pulls away, Trini rolls her eyes playfully. “Do you really have to be so over the top?”

“You love it.”

Trini sighs. “No argument there.” 

\--

Ray is hiding behind one of Jason’s legs, peeking his head out to the side.

Trini nudges Mackenzie’s shoulder and the girl gives her mom a smile before walking forward towards the boy. “Hi, I’m Mackenzie but everyone calls me Mack.” She says softly.

Ray just looks up into Mackenzie’s eyes. 

“I like your costume.” She says, taking a small step closer. “Can I see the rest of it?” 

The boy looks up at Jason who’s squeezing Billy’s hand tightly. “Go on, bud.” 

Ray looks back to Mackenzie and moves from behind Jason. “I’m Ray.” He whispers.

“I know.” Mackenzie replies with a smile. “Do you want to meet everyone else?”

Ray looks at the group in front of him while chewing on his bottom lip. “Um, okay.”

“Great!” Mackenzie says cheerfully as she grabs Ray’s hand, tugging him towards the rest of the family. “These are my moms, Kimberly and Trini, and my little brother Morgan.”

“Hi.” Ray whispers again, looking up at Trini and Kimberly. 

Kimberly crouches down in front of the boy. “It’s nice to meet you, Ray. Can I give you a hug?”

The boy looks back to Jason and Billy, who smile and nod, before looking back to Kimberly. “Okay.” He whispers again.

She quickly pulls him into a hug. 

Once Kimberly let’s him go, the boy smiles. “You smell like flowers.” 

“That’s her perfume.” Mackenzie says with a grin. “It smells so good, huh.” 

“Uh huh.” Ray replies. 

Trini bends down beside her wife, softly putting her hand on Ray’s arm. “We’re really glad to have you join our family.” She says before she and Kimberly both stand up, allowing Mackenzie to pull him to the next couple. 

“This is Uncle Zack and Aunt Tommy.” The girl leans close to Ray’s ear and whispers. “They’re the best.” 

Kendall pulls her hand out of her father’s and goes up to Ray. “I’m Kenny.” 

Tommy and Zack both crouch down now, smiling at the boy. “And this is Carson.” Tommy says, gesturing towards her son in her arms. 

“We’re so happy you’re here, Ray.” Zack says as he ruffles the boy’s soft, curly hair. 

The boy smiles again. “Thank you.” 

At that, Billy and Jason walk up to Ray and place a hand on each of his shoulders. “What do you think, buddy?” Billy asks. 

“They’re okay.” The boy replies simply and Mackenzie giggles.

“Mommy, can we go paint pumpkins now?”

Ray’s eyes go wide as he looks to the girl. “I want to paint pumpkins.” 

“We can make that happen, bud.” Jason says, as he holds a hand out and smiles wide when he feels Ray put a small hand in his.

\--

“ _Chingada madre!_ ” Trini shouts, her heart racing. The culprit, a giant motion activated spider that leaps out at you, now upside down on the floor beside her. 

Tommy races to the backyard to find an angry Trini giving the Halloween decoration another kick for good measure. “Really, Trin?” She says with a smug smirk.

“If you’re in on this, I’m not talking to you for a week!” Trini’s hands find her hips as she glares at Tommy causing her to laugh. 

“Just a week? I can deal with that.”

“Dammit, Tommy!” Trini exclaims. “You know how I feel about spiders and you still let them do this? I thought you loved me.”

Tommy chuckles as she takes a step towards Trini. “Awe, baby. Do you need me to protect you from the big, bad plastic spider?” She teases as she wraps her arms around her tightly and kisses the top of her head.

“Hey! That’s my job.” Kimberly says with a grin as she and Zack step onto the back porch.

“She’s all yours.” Tommy releases Trini who shoves her shoulder playfully.

Trini makes her way towards Kimberly and presses a finger to her chest. “I know this was your idea and you’re gonna have to work _extremely_ hard to get me to forgive you.” Her tone too sultry to be innocent. She winks at Kimberly with a smirk, before turning to Zack and Tommy who each have an arm wrapped around the other’s waist. “You two, stop gawking and get rid of that monstrosity before it scares one of the kids.” 

\--

June leads the pack of grandparents, all of them wearing matching orange shirts with different jack-o'-lantern faces, to the living room where various bags of candy are piled on the coffee table. 

Jason and Trini share a look before looking back at the group. “Okay, that’s a lot of sugar.”

“We had to make sure we had enough.” Beverly replies to her son.

June nods. “Plus, we didn’t know what Ray liked, so we got a bit of everything just in case.”

Laughter fills the air as the twins and Pearl walk into the room.

Daniel and Diego are in matching blue overalls with one twin wearing a red shirt underneath and the other a green. The hats on their heads in the same color, one with an _M_ and one with an _L_. Pearl is in a light pink a-line dress with hot pink trim and has a gold crown on her head. 

Jason can’t hold back smiling at their themed costumes again. 

“You know mom, Trin.” Diego says with a smirk. 

“It’s better to have too much than not enough.” Daniel mimics as he reaches for Pearl’s hand and leads her to the couch, Diego following. All three of them giggling again. 

Pearl smiles as she leans her head against Diego’s shoulder, keeping both boys close once they’re on the couch and talking between themselves. 

“Should I be worried?” Sam whispers as he turns to June and Mario with a raised brow. 

Mario laughs and shakes his head. “I asked the same thing when I saw Jason carrying Trini home on his back that one day.” 

“I wouldn’t worry, Sam.” Thomas adds. “They’re just really close because of the example those two set.” He finishes with a grin as he nods towards Trini and Jason.

Jason and Trini chuckle as the attention is suddenly on them. “And, we’re done here.” Jason says as he makes a show of grabbing Trini’s hand and leading her towards their children who are decorating cookies at the kitchen table.

“You guys need to hurry and get to your places.” Trini says over her shoulder before resting her head on Jason’s shoulder for added effect.

\--

“Mackenzie was a little upset that they wouldn’t be going trick-or-treating this year, so Kimberly came up with this as the best solution.” 

Candice chuckles. “That Kimberly, always so innovative.” 

“Isn’t she.” Thomas says. “It’s a shame her parents never come around for things like this.” 

“I don’t think she minds.” Candice responds with a sigh. “I actually think she kind of likes that they keep their distance.”

Thomas shakes his head. “It’s still gotta hurt, you know.” 

“I know.”

The duo is standing at the front door. June and Mario are by the back door and Sam is at the door of the downstairs bathroom with Beverly. Pearl and the twins are at the doors of the three rooms upstairs. 

It ended up being one of Kimberly’s best ideas. The kids absolutely loved trick-or-treating indoors and the parents didn’t have to worry about breakdowns, losing kids, or dealing with packed streets.

The entire time, Ray was smiling as Mackenzie made sure to introduce him to everyone he hadn’t already met. When he got to Pearl, she made sure to drop an extra handful of candy into his bucket while she shot him a wink. 

\--

After dinner and goodbyes from the grandparents and teenagers, the family is all gathered in the living room. Kendall and Morgan are laying down on a blanket on the floor, the cartoon on the TV slowly lulling them to sleep.

Tommy is sitting on the loveseat beside Kimberly and Trini with Carson nestled in her arms. Jason, Billy, and Zack are on the couch. The adults all focused on Ray and Mackenzie who are kneeling by the coffee table, sorting a large pile of leftover candy into 3 different bags. 

“After this, do you want to go in the backyard and look at the sky with me? The moon always looks so cool on Halloween.”

Ray turns to Mackenzie with a frown, shaking his head. “Uh-uh.”

“Why not?” The girl asks simply. 

“I’m.” Ray looks away before starting again. “I’m scared of the dark.” He whispers.

“Oh. That’s okay.” Mackenzie responds with a smile. “My mommy is scared of fire and my mama hates spiders. Uncle Zack doesn’t like hospitals and Aunt Tommy is afraid of flying.” The girl pauses when Ray turns back to her with curious eyes.

“What about Billy and Jason?” He asks, a small smile now on his face. 

“Easy. Uncle Billy doesn’t like being in water for a long time or strangers touching him and Uncle Jason always gets really sweaty when there’s a car accident.”

“How do you know so much about the grown-ups?”

Mackenzie grins at the boy. “They’re my family, we gotta know stuff about each other. They all know I’m scared of clowns.”

“Oh.” The boy’s eyes fill with wonder and then he smiles again. “Am I your family?” 

“Mhmm.” Mackenzie nods her head as she shifts her body to hug Ray, then pulls back to look him in the eye again. “And now I know you’re scared of the dark. So, we don’t have to go outside, we can do something else.”

Ray responds with a simple nod of his own before they both go back to sorting the candy in front of them, completely oblivious of the tears flowing down the cheeks of all six adults in the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Grease is on Netflix. The " _What is this, Halloween?_ " comment got to me. I have problems... I'm sorry!
> 
> But... this was a fun chapter to write! Obviously, I'm excited for Halloween. I apologize for going totally overboard with the costume descriptions.
> 
> Also, the family is now complete! ;)
> 
> Would love to hear your thoughts/feedback in the comments. They really help keep me motivated.


	18. Surprise Sleepover

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're gonna say this chapter happened in June.
> 
> Enjoy!

“You’re being ridiculous.” 

Zack rolls his eyes as he looks at Trini. “I’m sure it’s only one of those stupid 24 hour bugs, it’ll be gone by tomorrow.”

“Okay, but I’m still not going to let these precious children get sick just because their parents are stubborn as hell.” Kendall giggles and Trini tightens her grip on the girl who’s sitting on her hip. “They can spend the night at our place.” She finishes as she swings the strap of the diaper bag over her shoulder. 

Tommy suddenly jumps up from where she was laying on the couch and rushes towards the bathroom with a hand covering her mouth. “Trini, take them. Please!” She mumbles as she passes them in the hallway. 

“Trin, are you…” Zack starts and then his face scrunches. “Oh.” He says as one of his hands lands on his stomach. “ _Oh!_ ”

“And, that’s our cue, pretty girl.” Trini says with a smirk. “Let’s go get your little brother.” 

Trini puts the girl down to take Carson out of the playpen. Once he’s on his feet, Kendall holds his hand as they all walk to the front door. “Don’t worry, we’ve got them. You two get better.”

Kendall is bouncing around in the minivan as Trini buckles Carson into his car seat when she stops suddenly and looks at Trini with excited eyes. “Aunt Trini, can we go to the park?”

Trini chuckles as she double checks the straps of Morgan’s car seat before moving further into the van and lifting Kendall into her car seat. “We’ll see, bug. Mack and Morgan are going to be so excited that you guys are spending the night.” 

The girl gasps and smiles at Trini. “A ‘leepover!” She shouts and begins to clap her hands, Carson doing the same.

“That’s right, a sleepover!” Trini replies as she clicks the last buckle and kisses the girl’s forehead before stepping out of the van and shutting the door.

\--

Trini has both Kendall and Carson by the hand as they walk up the porch steps. In an instant, the front door opens and her daughter is running towards the two smaller kids. “Kenny, Carson!” She squeals as she hugs them both.

Morgan comes barreling out the front door next and runs into his sister with a small huff before steadying himself and joining in on the group hug.

Mackenzie starts talking to the three of them as they all giggle and laugh. 

Kimberly is the next one to exit the home and makes her way to Trini, kissing her cheek. “I have chicken noodle on the stove, we can drop it off before we meet the boys at the park.” 

“How are you so perfect?” Trini asks, smirking as the children’s random chatter turns into background noise.

“Oh, be quiet.” Kimberly says sheepishly as she turns her head away from Trini, her cheeks lightly flushed. 

Trini leans up on her toes towards her wife’s ear and whispers. “Nice to know I still have an effect on you, _princess_.” She teases before pulling away, biting her lip seductively on purpose.

The nickname hasn’t been directed at her in years and the sound of it rolling off of Trini’s tongue like _that_ causes a shiver to course through her. Kimberly quickly turns back, finding Trini’s lips with her own.

“ _Gah-ross!_ ” Mackenzie groans as she heads inside with Morgan, Kendall, and Carson right on her tail. “Get a room!” 

The two women pull apart and Trini scoffs as she covers her face with her hand. “Okay, our daughter spends _way too much_ time with Zack.”

“You never know, she could’ve picked that up from Billy.” Kimberly deadpans. 

Trini sneers as she rolls her eyes. “I hate you.” 

“You just said I was perfect.”

“Yeah, well I retract my statement.” Trini huffs before following the kids inside.

\-- 

“I come bearing gifts!” Trini shouts with a chuckle as she opens the door of Tommy and Zack’s house only for it to come into contact with something. She furrows her brow and looks down to find the couple laying on the tile floor of the entryway.

“Too loud.” Zack whines as he rolls over to his other side.

Trini tries but can’t hold back the laugh that escapes her lips. “You two look like shit.” 

“Thanks, babe.” Tommy murmurs as she raises a hand and then lets it flop back to the floor.

“Anytime.” Trini quips as she steps over one of Zack’s legs and heads towards the kitchen, dropping four green canvas tote bags onto the table before walking back to the couple. “Okay, I’m going to need you to get off of the floor.” She says as she crouches down and brushes Tommy’s slightly damp hair out of her face. “C’mon.”

Tommy sits up slowly and frowns at Trini. “The rest of the house is fucking stifling, the tile is cool.” She whimpers. 

“Most direct path to the bathroom.” Zack adds as he groans and turns again, facing Trini.

“Okay, okay.” Trini replies, raising her hands in surrender.

Tommy nods towards the kitchen. “What did you bring?” 

“Kim made soup and we stopped by the store to pick up Gatorade, bananas, crackers, ice pops, all that good stuff.”

“My hero.” Tommy says softly, looking up at Trini with grateful eyes. 

Trini smiles and kisses the top of Tommy’s head before standing up, nudging one of Zack’s feet with her foot. “I gotta go. We’re taking the kids to the park, Kim’s in the van.” 

“Thanks, Trin.” Zack whispers. “You’re an angel.” 

She chuckles as she opens the door. “You guys are so cheesy when you’re sick.” Trini says before saying goodbye and shutting the door behind her.

\--

“Hi, Aunt Kim.” Ray says cheerfully as he walks up to Kimberly who’s helping Morgan and Carson down the double slide of the playground.

Kimberly kisses the boy’s cheek before ruffling his hair. “Hi, buddy. How are you?” 

“I’m good. Where’s Mack?”

The women smiles as she nods towards her daughter swinging on the monkey bars. The boy makes a beeline for the girl only to have Trini stop him halfway. “Hey, where’s my hug!” She yells playfully.

The boy laughs as he stops and heads in her direction. “Aunt Trini, I didn’t see you.” Ray says as he gives Trini a hug.

“Is that supposed to be a joke, young man?” She asks with a chuckle, narrowing her eyes.

Ray laughs again. “No. I really didn’t see you.”

Mackenzie jumps off of the monkey bars at the sight of Ray and runs towards him. “Ray!” She shouts. The boy opens his arms as she runs into them, wrapping her arms around his neck. When she pulls away from the hug, she smiles. “Come swing with me!”

“Be careful.” Trini says before turning back to Kendall who’s climbing up the rope spider web.

\-- 

Ray and Mackenzie are laying in the tunnel of the playground with their feet flat on the top and their hands behind their heads. 

“Just ask them, the little kids are so boring.” 

The boy turns to look at his cousin. “What if they say no?” 

“We won’t let them say no.” Mackenzie replies with a laugh. “C’mon, Ray.”

“Okay, okay.” 

“Yes!” 

The two scoot out of the tunnel and hold hands before running to the adults gathered at the rocking animals with the three little kids. 

“What’s wrong?” Jason asks as the two kids stop in front of them. 

“Nothing, dad.” Ray replies with a smile. “Can I spend the night with Aunt Kim and Trini, too?”

Jason looks to Billy with a smirk. “I don’t know, babe, what do you think?”

“Please. Please. Please!” Mackenzie says as she starts to bounce on her feet.

Ray turns to Billy. “Yeah, dad. Please!”

Billy chuckles as he nods. “Sure, buddy. But you have to talk to your aunts, they have to say yes, too.” 

Mackenzie and Ray turn to each other before looking up at Trini and Kimberly with puppy dog faces. “Pleeease!” They say at the same time.

This time Trini and Kimberly share a look with smirks on their faces. “Of course.” Kimberly responds with a smile as Trini nods in agreement.

“Yes!” The two kids shout together again as they high five. 

Mackenzie hugs her moms and Ray hugs his dads while saying _thank you_ before running back towards the playground. 

\--

“What are you doing?” Kendall asks as she walks into the kitchen where Mackenzie is standing on a chair to reach the top shelf of the freezer. Ray is beside her on lookout duty.

Mackenzie looks down at the girl with narrowed eyes. “Kenny, go away.” She whispers. 

“Go play with Morgan.” Ray adds. 

The smaller girl looks up with curious eyes before smiling mischievously. “Aunt Trini!” She shouts, causing the two older kids to groan.

“Kenny, be quiet!” Mackenzie says as she jumps off the chair, a frozen peas bag in her hand. 

Ray grins when he sees the bag. “Are they in there?” 

Mackenzie unrolls and opens to bag to reveal a stash of mini chocolate bars. “Jackpot!” 

“Give me one.” Ray says quickly and the girl tosses one his way. “Here.” He turns to Kendall, handing her the chocolate bar. “Go tell Aunt Trini you’re okay. Don’t let her see the candy.”

Kendall smiles again. “Thank you very much.” She says before running off towards the playroom where Trini is with Kimberly, Morgan, and Carson. 

“That was close.” Mackenzie laughs as she gives Ray the bag of chocolates and puts the chair back under the table. “C’mon, let’s go to my room.” 

\-- 

Tommy sits up on the bed, crossing her legs as Zack steps out of the bathroom in nothing but a fresh pair of boxer briefs. “You were right, a shower did make me feel better.” 

“You should know by now that I’m always right, babe.” Tommy chuckles as she calls him over with her finger.

Zack shakes his head as he makes his way to the bed and lays down with his head on Tommy’s lap, reaching one arm back around her waist and resting his hand on her lower back. “It’s quiet.”

“Nice, huh?” Tommy replies as she looks down at her husband with pure adoration before running a hand through his still damp air. 

He lifts his free hand and gently slides it down her arm with a smirk.

“Zack, don’t you dare.” Tommy says as she flicks his bicep. “We’re sick, remember.” 

“ _Baby, c'mon!_ ” Zack whines as he catches her index finger and pulls her hand to rest over his heart. “You don’t know when we’ll have the house to ourselves again.”

Tommy rolls her eyes and lays back on the pillow, covering her eyes with her forearm. 

Zack grins as he positions himself on top of his wife. “Is that a yes, baby?” He whispers.

She responds by gently pushing him off of her. “That’s a go to sleep.”

“ _Tommy._ ” Zack whines again. 

Tommy laughs as she turns to her side and pulls Zack close, kissing his cheek. “We’ll see how we feel in the morning.” 

“We can find an excuse to have the girls keep the kids another day.” He replies with a wink. 

Tommy groans. “Zack, shut up and get some sleep.” 

\-- 

“Kenny, honey. What’s wrong?” Kimberly asks as she sits on the floor in front of the girl. 

Kendall continues to pout, her eyes welling up with tears.

“Are you mad?” 

The girl shakes her head no. 

“Does something hurt you?” Kimberly asks, starting to worry. 

The girl simply shakes her head again. 

“Are you sad?” 

At the question, Kendall nods, pushing her bottom lip out further. 

“Why, Kenny? What happened?” Kimberly reaches out to hold the girl’s hand. 

Kendall looks up to Kimberly with sad eyes and a trembling lip. “Ray and Mack won’t let me play with them.” 

“Awe, don’t be sad.” Kimberly says as she pulls the girl into a hug. “They’re just older, sweetie. Do you want to play a game with me and Aunt Trini?” 

“Hungry Hungry Hippos?” Kendall asks as she smiles wide. 

“There’s that pretty smile.” Kimberly stands and ruffles the girl’s hair. “C’mon.” 

\-- 

Billy lays back on the pillow breathlessly. 

“You okay, babe?” Jason asks as he turns on his side and gently runs his fingers over Billy’s collarbone. 

“Huh?” Billy starts before smiling. “Oh, yeah. I’m great. It’s just been awhile since we’ve done that.”

Jason leans up and kisses Billy’s shoulder as Billy wraps an arm under Jason and pulls him closer. “It has.” Jason says with a chuckle. “I’m not getting out of this bed for the rest of the day.” 

“J, we have so much to do.” 

“Don’t care.” Jason mumbles, tucking his head into Billy’s neck. “It can wait.” 

\--

“Mack, toss this.” Kimberly says as she hands her an empty popcorn bag. 

The girl tosses the bag back over her shoulder with a shrug. 

When the bag makes contact with the floor, Kimberly looks back. “What was that, Mackenzie?” 

“What? You said toss it.” 

Kimberly sighs, exhausted as she puts away the broom and mop. “I meant in the trash, Mackenzie. Pick it up and throw it away.” 

The girl sucks her teeth and rolls her eyes before picking up the bag and dramatically throwing it in the trash. “There, happy?”

“Just go, Mackenzie.” Kimberly says with another exasperated sigh as she uses her hand to shoo her daughter away. “Go get ready for bed and don’t make anymore messes, _please._ ” 

Mackenzie turns on her heel and skips towards the bathroom. 

Trini laughs as she pulls the bag of trash from the bin. “Our daughter’s got spunk.” 

“When she’s acting like that, she’s _your_ daughter.” Kimberly replies simply and walks up to Trini, pulling her in for a heated kiss. 

“Tommy and Zack are so paying us back with a kid-free day.” Trini says firmly as she pulls away, slightly out of breath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hate myself for leaving that Billy/Jason scene so incredibly short, but I had no idea where to take it. I also didn't want to cut it out completely, so I left it... but, yeah. :/ Morgan & Carson also got totally cheated in this update.
> 
> Future chapters will probably be restructured on my outline to focus on only a few characters at a time... I'll be honest in saying the last two took a lot out of me and it was mostly because there were so many characters involved at once.
> 
> Let me know your thoughts/feedback in the comments. I could use a pick me up... 
> 
> Thanks for reading! :)


	19. Birthday Fun

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the chapter that started this all, so I'm excited to _**finally**_ share it. I started this story on June 6th and the first sentence was actually: " _The doorbell rings and Trini is out of her seat in an instant._ " It's crazy to think that it's sitting at almost 40k words right now and I backtracked all the way to Mackenzie's birth!
> 
> Thank you for giving me an outlet. I'm kinda sad now that I let it sit as a draft for so long, especially now that the fandom is slowly... _fizzling out_? :/
> 
> Anyway, I really hope you enjoy! 
> 
> Age update (because I jumped, again):  
> Mackenzie, 10  
> Ray, 8  
> Kendall, 5  
> Morgan, 4  
> Carson, turning 4

Flour, egg shells, and orange skins cover the kitchen island and there are little fingerprints everywhere. “Mom, we should make them look like hearts.”

Kimberly looks over to her daughter who is trying her hardest to get every last drop of an orange into the juicer. The girl has her tongue sticking out on the right and is biting down on it, her eyes narrowed and Kimberly can’t help but smile. “Sure, Mack. Mama would love that.”

The women bends down to grab the glass jar of cookie cutters and sets it on the island. While shuffling through them, a moon-shaped cutter slips out with a clatter. A small hand reaches for it and lifts the cutter to examine it. Mackenzie shifts her focus to her little brother who’s sitting on one of the stools with an orange slice in his mouth, the juice dripping down his chin. Morgan looks through the cookie cutter towards his sister with a cheeky grin. “No hearts, Mack. Moons! Moon pancakes for mama.” 

Mackenzie’s brow furrows as she looks towards her mom. Kimberly pats a hand over Morgan’s soft curls as she holds up the heart-shaped cutter she pulled from the jar. “How about hearts _and_ moons?” She winks at her daughter who smiles back at her and nods.

“Mom, can I cut the strawberries now?” There’s a mischievous grin on her face, one she easily picked up from Trini.

Kimberly sighs as she looks towards her wife’s mini-me. “Mackenzie, you know the rules about knives.” She flips the pancakes on the griddle and then uses the spatula to point at the cabinet. “Grab a plate for mama and the tray. These are almost done.” She shifts the spatula towards the sink. “Morgan, go clean your mouth, please. Mama doesn’t need sticky kisses.”

The kids set off to do what Kimberly asked of them as she begins to cut the strawberries into slices. Mackenzie places the tray and plate down and then tugs at the hem of Kimberly’s pink pajama top. Kimberly winks at her again and the girl reaches for Morgan’s hand. “C’mon let’s go get mama’s balloons from the super secret hiding place!”

\--

“Ready?” Kimberly whispers as she looks down at her kids who are now holding balloons in every color of the rainbow. “Set.” Morgan has a blowout in his mouth and is jumping up and down. Mackenzie is shaking a can of yellow silly string, the clicking sound filling the air. Kimberly turns the knob of the master bedroom door and pushes it open. “Go!”

Morgan lifts himself on the bed and jumps onto Trini, straddling her back. He accidentally lets go of his bunch of balloons and they float up, sprinkling the ceiling with color. “Mama!” He squeals before he blows into the noise maker that hits the back of Trini’s head softly as it opens.

“Wake up, mama. Wake up!” Mackenzie says, standing on the side of the bed.

Trini turns over onto her back, careful not to jilt Morgan off of her. “What’s going on?” She asks, her voice raspy and Mackenzie sprays the silly string all over Trini with a smirk.

“Happy birthday, mama!” Morgan shouts, then has his lips around the noise maker again.

The loud sound makes Trini wince, but she smiles up at her son and pulls him towards her to place a kiss on his forehead. “Thank you, my sweet boy.” 

“Mama!” Mackenzie chirps. Trini turns to face her daughter who’s now beaming. “Happy birthday! We made you a special breakfast.” Trini turns her attention towards Kimberly who’s holding one hand over her heart and is holding the breakfast tray in the other. “Morgan helped mommy with the pancakes and I made the orange juice all by myself.” The girl raves.

The pride in Mackenzie’s voice makes Trini’s heart flutter. “I bet it’s the best orange juice _ever_.” She kisses her daughter’s cheek and pulls her up onto the bed beside her. “Are those for me, too?” She asks, pointing towards the balloons still in Mackenzie’s grasp.

“Yes!” Mackenzie giggles. “Aren’t they pretty mama? Do you like them?”

“I love them, Mack.” Trini looks up at the balloons Morgan had released and looks back at Mackenzie. “Can you grab those for me?” 

Kimberly shuffles over to her side of the bed and sits, placing the tray on her lap. She leans over and presses a gentle kiss on Trini’s cheek as Mackenzie bounces around on the bed gathering the balloons by the strings attached to them. “Happy birthday, my love.”

“Thanks, baby.” Trini says before turning to face Kimberly with narrowed eyes. “But silly string, really?”

“That was not my idea, she insisted.” Kimberly laughs as they both shift their attention back to their children. “I’m pretty sure she got it from Zack.”

“One more, Mack!” Morgan shouts. 

“Got it!” Mackenzie sits and hands the bundle of balloons to her mom with a cheesy smile.

Trini grabs hold of them and knots the ends of all the strings together making one large bouquet. “We’ll save these for when Ray, Kenny, and Carson get here. We can play games with them.”

Morgan begins to clap his hands at the sound of his cousins’ names. 

\--

“Enchilalas! Can I help, mommy?” Morgan tugs at Kimberly’s shirt and Trini scoops him up into her arms as she carries him to the sink. 

“Enchi _ladas_.” Mackenzie chuckles softly, correcting her little brother, before following her mom to the sink. “Can I help too, mama?” 

“You both can help, but little chefs need clean hands, remember?” Trini reaches for the bottle of lemon-scented hand soap as her daughter turns on the tap. 

Once Trini squirts a dollop of foam onto each of their palms, Mackenzie starts to lather up her hands. “Lots of bubbles, Morgan.” The girl says with a smile.

Kimberly looks back and matches Mackenzie’s smile, stealing a look at Trini who’s staring down at their children with complete adoration. She can’t help the way her heart swells.

As the kids wash the last of the soap off, Trini scoots her hands in to wash her own and Morgan runs back to Kimberly showing off his clean hands. “No more germs, mommy!” He shouts cheerfully and Kimberly leans down to lift him up onto the stool beside her. 

Mackenzie pulls the cheese grater from the drawer before rushing to the fridge for the blocks of cheese. “I’ve got cheese duty.” 

As Mackenzie hops onto the stool beside Morgan, Trini comes up behind Kimberly and wraps an arm around her waist. “How can I help?”

“You’re the birthday girl, baby, go sit down and let us pamper you.” 

“Pass.” Trini says with a laugh.

Kimberly rolls her eyes. “Fine, you can help with rolling them.”

\--

The chime of the doorbell fills the house and Trini is out of her seat in an instant. “I’ve got it!”

When she opens the door, Tommy and Zack are standing behind Kendall and Carson. “Aunt Trini!” The kids shout as they rush to hug Trini who crouches down a bit.

“Happy birthday.” Kendall says as she pulls back and kisses Trini’s cheek. 

Trini smiles at the girl. “Thank you, pretty girl.” She turns her head towards Carson. “Look at you, little one! You look so big. How old are you now?” 

The boy giggles and holds up four fingers.

“ _Four_?!” Trini replies playfully. “You’re almost as old as me.” She teases before leaning forward and kissing his forehead. “Happy birthday, birthday buddy.” 

Carson laughs. “Happy birthday, Aunt Trini.” 

“Why don’t you two go play with Morgan.” Trini says as she leans close to both of the kids. “He just opened his new space puzzle from Uncle Billy and _it glows in the dark_.” Kendall and Carson’s faces light up and they both sprint off around Trini and towards the playroom.

Trini barely gets back to a standing position before Tommy is pulling her into a tight hug. “Happy birthday, love.” She says before kissing Trini’s cheek and letting her go.

“What? No love for me?” Zack says with a grin as he crosses his arms. 

“Oh, hush!” Trini steps forward, rolling her eyes and wraps her arms around Zack’s waist, hugging him. 

Zack hugs her back tighter and kisses the top of her head. “Happy birthday, Trin.” 

Trini steps back and smiles at the two. “Everyone else is in the kitchen, are you hungry?”

Tommy laughs. “We may not be Power Rangers anymore, but you know this one still eats like one.” She wraps an arm around Zack’s waist, resting her head on his shoulder as they follow Trini towards the kitchen.

In the hallway, Ray and Mackenzie run up to greet their aunt and uncle before turning to Trini.

“Mama, we’re gonna go play basketball in the front.” 

“Yeah, babies, have fun. Dinner’s in twenty though, okay?” 

“Yes, ma’am.” The kids reply before they both head out the front door.

Kimberly, Billy, and Jason are all standing around the island when they get to the kitchen. Trini walks over to Kimberly and reaches for her hand, interlocking their fingers. 

“Yo, did Ray have some kind of growth spurt?” Zack asks Jason and Billy with a smirk. 

Jason raises a brow and shrugs. “Not sure, why?” 

“The kid is at least 3 inches taller, Mack doesn’t stand a chance.”

Trini groans as she looks over to her wife who’s biting her lip, holding back a laugh. “Kimberly, that’s not funny!”

“Babe, don’t worry. She still has time to grow.” Tommy says while smacking Zack’s arm.

Zack starts to say something else when Trini turns to glare at him, her upper lip raising on one side. “Not one more word!”

Billy snorts as he grabs a handful of baby carrots from the veggie tray. “Zack has been here for six minutes and Trini is already about two seconds away from ripping his head off.” 

Zack holds a hand to his heart, pretending to look hurt, and the group breaks into laughter.

\-- 

The two oldest kids are at the end of a game of HORSE, both only needing to miss one challenge shot before they lose. With Friday concession money on the line, they’re both determined to win. Mackenzie steps to the side, pulls off her jacket, and tosses it to the side, revealing a bright pink t-shirt. 

“I thought you said pink was for babies.” Ray says with a laugh as he dribbles the ball twice before turning and throwing the ball back over his shoulder, the _swish_ letting him know he was successful. “Yes! Try that, Mini Mack.”

The girl rolls her eyes. “That shot was for babies.” Mackenzie retorts as she picks up the basketball and mimics Ray’s shot with grace resulting in another _swish_. She looks to the boy with a smug smirk and raises a brow, challenging him. “Gotta try harder than that.”

Ray quickly grabs the ball and begins to dribble it again as he heads towards the middle of the driveway. “Okay, let’s see you try this one, pink princess.” He teases before running towards the hoop, jumping and then twisting in the air before he shoots the ball.

It ricochets off the backboard and Mackenzie catches the rebound. “ _Dude_!” She says as she laughs loudly, holding the ball on her hip using her forearm. “That’s what you get for calling me princess. I’m totally buying an ice cream for Junior with _your_ dollar on Friday.”

“You have to win my dollar first.” Ray says with a scowl. 

Mackenzie laughs again. “Don’t worry, I will.” She says before she starts to move, dribbling the ball under her legs. The girl stands up straight, bringing the ball up over her head with one hand then smirks at Ray before covering her eyes with the other hand. She flicks her wrist. _Swish_. 

Ray is still staring at the basket when Mackenzie goes to stand in front of him. 

“Scared, Ray-Ray?” 

The boy rolls his eyes before running for the ball. “Not even a little bit.” He replies before copying Mackenzie’s shot. He uncovers his eyes to see the ball circling the rim. “Oh, _c’mon_!” 

The ball slips off the side and bounces on the concrete causing Mackenzie to gleefully shout. “E!” She then starts doing her own rendition of the moonwalk. “Oh, yeah! Uh-huh, uh-huh! I win!” 

“That worse than when my dad tries to do it. Stop!” Ray laughs as he picks up the basketball and Mackenzie’s jacket, holding it out for the girl. “Let’s go eat.” 

“You still owe me a dollar.” Mackenzie says as she takes the jacket and follows Ray inside. 

\-- 

_… happy birthday to you!_

“Blow out the candles, buddy.” Trini says as she wraps an arm around the boy who’s standing on a chair next to her.

Carson smiles as he bends forward and blows out the candles on the cake. 

“What did you wish for, little man?” Zack asks as he pulls Tommy closer to his side.

“Daddy!” Kendall giggles from beside her little brother. “He can’t tell you what he wished for, it won’t come true.” 

The group chuckles at the girl’s response as Zack shakes his head. Kimberly starts to cut the cake and Billy starts to scoop ice cream from the carton. 

“Mama, did you make a wish?” Morgan asks with a small smile as Jason hands him a plate.

Trini turns to her son on her other side and kisses the top of his head. “Baby, I already have everything I could ever wish for. You, Mack, mommy, and all of our family is everything that I will ever need.” 

Ray and Mackenzie share a look before the boy looks back to Trini. “I thought Aunt Kim and Aunt Tommy were supposed to be the cheesy ones.”

“I guess Ray doesn’t want a piece of cake.” Trini teases as she looks at him with narrowed eyes.

“It’s okay, mama. I still think you’re… _grate_.” Mackenzie says as she looks to Ray again and they both break out in laughter. 

Zack nudges the girl’s shoulder with his own as he laughs along with the other adults. “That was a good one, Mack.” 

“Thanks, I learn from the best.” She replies as she turns to her uncle and kisses his cheek. 

\--

Trini is sitting on Kimberly’s lap with her legs draped over Tommy’s lap as cheerful laughter, surprised shouts, and the sound of popping balloons filters through the air from the playroom.

“Who do you think is winning? The kids or the dads?” Trini asks with a chuckle.

Tommy grins as she shifts her attention from her phone where she’s sending her father photos of the birthday boy to her best friends by her side. “Definitely the kids, Mack has Kim’s competitive spirit and your tenacity.” 

“Plus, her and Ray together are a force to be reckoned with.” Kimberly adds. 

“They even have the lunch detention to prove it.” Tommy laughs, shaking her head. “What are the odds of that, honestly?” 

“Okay, wait.” Trini says, sitting up and facing Tommy and Kimberly. “I still don’t think it’s fair that they got a month of lunch detention for simply protecting Kenny. It didn’t even happen at the school, they were across the street.”

Kimberly stifles a laugh as she looks to her wife. “It’s the last names. They mean trouble in Angel Grove and now that they’re all basically doubled, no one is taking any chances.”

“Our poor children.” Tommy chuckles throwing her head back and relaxing more onto the couch. 

Trini tucks her head under Kimberly’s chin and rests a palm on her chest, pulling Tommy closer to them with the heels of her feet. “You mean poor us.”

Kimberly sighs contently and wraps one arm around Trini’s waist, the other around Tommy’s. “I still wouldn’t change a thing.”

Tommy and Trini find each other’s eyes and smile before nodding in agreement.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was really tempted to end the story here, but I couldn't finish it on such a weird number of chapters. Plus, I have a few more parts already written, so I feel like I'll get to 25 and then stop there. What do you think? 25 is a good number, right? :) 
> 
> Also, this chapter... definitely one of my favorites!
> 
> I'd really love to hear your thoughts and feedback in the comments. (You can yell at me about how the writing style shifts so much, I'm totally cool with that... lol).
> 
> Thanks so much for reading!


	20. Winter Break

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The kids are on winter vacation from school. The twins and Pearl are home visiting from college. Everyone really just needs a break.
> 
> I'll start by saying that I have extremely mixed feelings about this chapter. It got away from me and was so hard to finish. :/
> 
> A rundown on the kids' ages:  
> Mackenzie, 12  
> Ray, 10  
> Kendall, 7  
> Morgan, 6  
> Carson, 5
> 
> Here goes nothing... I hope it's still enjoyable.

“Mommy, where’s mama?”

Kimberly looks up from the contract she’s working on to face her son. “Um, in the laundry room, why bud? Do you need something?” 

Morgan shakes his head quickly. “Just mama.” He says before running off towards Trini. “Mama, mama!” 

Trini sighs softly as she adds another folded towel to the pile on the dryer. “I’m in here, Morgan.”

“Mama, where’s my orange juice?” 

Before turning to face her son, Trini closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. She smiles as she meets Morgan’s gaze. “On the table, honey. Right next to mommy.” 

Morgan giggles before running back to the table. “Thank you!” 

“ _You probably looked right at it when you asked her where I was._ ” She mutters to herself before folding the last towel, picking up the basket, and walking towards Kimberly.

The scowl on Trini’s face actually scares Kimberly a bit. “I asked him if he needed something.” She says hastily, saving the document and closing her laptop to focus on her wife.

“I need a break, Kimberly.” Trini replies simply as she drops the basket on the floor, the sound causing both of them to wince. “I love those kids to death, but I _need_ a fucking break.”

Kimberly reaches for Trini’s hands and pulls her towards her, wrapping her arms around her small waist. “Then, let’s take a break.” She looks up at Trini and chuckles when she’s met with a sneer and a raised eyebrow.

“You’re are so not funny, Kimberly Ann.” 

“Wow, okay.” Kimberly says as she pulls Trini onto her lap slowly and brushes the loose strands of hair out of her face. “Please, relax.”

“I’m sorry.” Trini says softly, nuzzling her head into the crook of Kimberly’s neck. “It’s just, there’s still a week before they go back to school and they’re driving me up the wall, babe.”

“Okay, baby.” Kimberly says softly, hugging Trini closer to her. “Your wish is my command. You want a break, you’ll get a break.” She kisses her wife’s forehead before helping her back to her feet. “I’ll handle the rest of the house stuff and the kids. You, my love, go shower and get ready.”

Trini’s looks at Kimberly with curious eyes. “Ready for what?” 

“Nope. You don’t get to ask questions.” Kimberly responds with a smirk as she playfully smacks Trini’s ass. “Now, go.”

Trini laughs as she leans up on her toes and kisses Kimberly softly. “Yes, ma’am.” She winks before heading out of the dining room.

“Hey, baby.” Kimberly calls with Trini still within earshot, causing her wife to turn and face her again. “Straight to our room, okay. Do not pick up one toy, or shoe, or plate, or piece of trash on the way?”

“Is that an order?” Trini asks playfully, a coy smile taking over her face. 

Kimberly growls as she pulls her bottom lip between her teeth and bites down hard to stop the desire that’s starting to bubble. “Trini, _go_!”

\-- 

_I’ll call you right back, gotta talk to Tommy._

Zack presses end on his phone before shoving it into his back pocket and rushing to the kids’ bathroom where Tommy is. He smirks when he finds her on her hands and knees, pulling out an insane amount of empty bottles and boxes from under the sink. “Mrs. Oliver-Taylor.”

“Zack, not now.” She replies with a huff as she sits back on her heels and looks at him with a pitiful look of despair. “Do our children not realize that there’s a trash can literally a foot away?” 

“C’mere.” Zack replies softly, holding his hands out for his wife. When Tommy doesn’t respond and just stares up at him, he tries again. “Baby, c’mere. Please.”

Tommy sighs as she takes Zack’s hands and he helps her stand. “We failed them, Zack.” She whines. “Our babies, we failed them.”

“Babe, they’re still kids.” He replies with a laugh as Tommy shakes her head. “If they’re still doing this in 10 years, then we’ll have to worry about failing them.”

Tommy chuckles as she rests a hand on Zack’s chest and kisses him. “What did you need? Are the kids okay?” 

Zack squeezes the hand Tommy still has in his and smiles. “Let’s take a couple of days off.” 

“What?” Tommy raises a brow.

“Pearl called. She’s babysitting Ray and the twins are babysitting Mack and Morgan for the weekend. To make it easier, they’re tag-teaming it at the girls’ house and she wanted to know if Kendall and Carson could join them.” 

“The weekend?” Tommy asks with a smirk. “Like two kid-free days?” 

Zack pulls a smirk of his own as he nods mischievously. “Two. Whole. Kid-Free. Days. What do you say?” 

“Are you kidding me? Yes!” Tommy looks up to Zack with a cheesy grin. “Please tell me you told Pearl yes.”

“Not yet, but I’m calling her back right now!”

\--

“Okay, enough!” Pearl shouts as she pulls the toy from both Morgan and Carson’s grasps. “You two, find a room and stay put until dinner.” She turns to walk away and hears a soft snicker causing her to turn back to the two boys. “Find seperate, empty rooms.”

“Aw, man.” Morgan says as he kicks a block that hits the wall with a small thud. 

Carson frowns and looks to his cousin. “It’s your fault, you laughed.” 

“Boys, _now_.” In an instant, they’re sprinting in opposite directions down the hallway. 

Pearl finds herself on the couch, her elbows on her thighs and her face in her hands. She feels the cushion sink beside her and looks to Daniel whose eyes are filled with worry. “Don’t.” She whispers. “Please, just don’t.”

Daniel sighs as he wraps his arms around her and pulls her close.

“Sweets, don’t shut us out.” Comes another voice and they both look up to find Diego leaning against the wall, the same worry-filled look on his face.

The girl closes her eyes and shakes her head. “We should be watching the kids, we don’t have time for this.”

“The kids will be fine on their own for five minutes.” Daniel says, tightening his hold. “Please, talk to us.” 

Diego takes a seat on her other side, brushing her hair out of her face. “Tell us what’s wrong, maybe we can help.” 

“I really hate when you two team up on me.” She says with a soft chuckle, tears streaming slowly down her face. “It’s not fair.”

“Pearl.” Daniel says simply. “Don’t avoid the question, what’s wrong?” 

“I can barely handle five kids with help, how am I supposed to handle an entire classroom full of them by myself in August?” She finishes with a whimper, tucking her head into the crook of Diego's neck.

The boys share a look and smile at each other, grateful that it’s not anything too serious.

“These kids are family.” Daniel says, running a soothing hand up and down her arm. “I promise you that your students won’t act like they do.”

Diego nods in agreement before brushing his fingers through Pearl’s hair. “These kids have known you their entire lives, they know exactly which buttons to push. It’ll be completely different in the classroom.” 

Pearl lifts her head to respond when a loud crash comes from living room. She groans as she playfully smacks Daniel’s arm, mocking him. “ _The kids will be fine on their own for five minutes_.” 

The twins laugh as they stand, Diego offering a hand to Pearl before they head towards where the sound came from.

\-- 

_Yeah, dad. We’re getting ready for bed now, everything is fine._

_Okay, bud. We just wanted to check in._

_Uh-huh, sure. Tell dad to stop worrying so much about me and enjoy his time off._

_I’ll try, Ray. You know how he gets when he doesn’t have a deadline to focus on. Goodnight, we’ll see you tomorrow._

_Night, dad._

Jason places the phone down and turns to face Billy. “See, babe. He’s perfectly fine.”

“How do I get when I don’t have a deadline to focus on?” Billy asks curiously.

“You caught that, huh?” Jason replies with a small smile. “It’s nothing, really. We just catch onto how you hone in on random things. It’s perfectly fine, Billy. It’s actually kind of cute.” 

At the last word, Billy cracks a smile and leans forward slowly to find Jason’s lips with his own.

\-- 

Kendall’s heart is pounding as she sits up on the bed, her eyes glued to the slightly opened blinds in Mackenzie’s room. There’s another flash and the girl gasps as she reaches for her stuffed animal and squeezes it to her chest. That’s when the thunder rolls and the tears Kendall was holding back are set free with a simple blink.

“M-Mack.” The smaller girl says softly as she rubs one of her eye’s with a tightly clenched fist, holding her koala bear closer to her. “Mack.” 

“Mmm.” Mackenzie groans in her sleep as she turns over onto her stomach, hiding her face in one of her pillows. 

Kendall sniffles as she tries again to wake the older girl, her little heart still going 100 miles an hour. “Mack, please wake up.” She pleads as she puts a hand on Mackenzie’s shoulder and shakes it. 

Mackenzie picks her head up sluggishly, her eyes opening slowly. “Kenny?” She asks, her voice thick with sleep. “What’s wrong?”

Another roll of thunder causes the house to tremble and Kendall’s eyes go wide. “Mack!” She cries.

Mackenzie instantly sits up and holds her arms out. “It’s okay, Kenny, c’mere.”

“I-I’m scared.” The younger girl says as she crawls her way onto Mackenzie’s lap and wraps her arms around her neck, her bear still in her grasp.

Mackenzie hugs the girl tightly. “It’s okay, bug. You’re okay.”

There’s another clap of thunder and Kendall clings impossibly closer to Mackenzie as tears continue to stream down her cheeks, her soft whines filling the air. 

“Kenny, don’t cry. I’m here.” Mackenzie coos in an attempt to calm her little cousin down as she rubs her back softly. “I’ll protect you.”

Thunder sounds a third time, this time accompanied by a strike of lightning that lights up the entire room. The smaller girl jerks as she pulls back and looks Mackenzie in the eyes, her lips quiver as she tries to say something but can’t.

Mackenzie leans forward and kisses the girl’s forehead. “Shh. I’m right here, Kenny.” She says as she reaches to the nightstand to grab her hand-me-down headphones from Trini and slowly places them over Kendall’s ears.

Kendall looks back up at Mackenzie. “You said no one else can ever use these.” 

“I know, but you can.” Mackenzie says with a smile. “Just this one time, okay?” 

The girl nods as she yawns softly and Mackenzie giggles.

“Okay, let’s go back to sleep, bug.” She says as she lays back down and pulls Kendall down with her, then reaches for her hand and holds on tight.

With her free hand, Mackenzie turns on soft music for Kendall as the girl cuddles close and closes her eyes. The older girl smiles as the smaller one slowly drifts off to sleep. Mackenzie carefully removes the headphones, placing them back on the nightstand before kissing Kendall’s forehead again. “Sleep tight, Kenny.” She whispers before falling asleep herself.

Pearl waits until she hears complete silence before peeking into the room again. When she sees both girls fast asleep, she stands and turns on the lamp by Mackenzie’s bed briefly to snap a quick photo. Back in the hallway, she sends it to the family group chat.

_**Pearl: [IMG] Storm woke Kenny, Mack saved the day.** _

\--

Kimberly quickly reaches for her phone, the ping at 2:00 am making her heart rate continue to increase. Trini is laying on top of her with her eyes closed, her body still slightly trembling.

“Is everything okay?” Trini asks a little breathlessly. 

“Yeah, baby.” Kimberly responds as she brushes the slightly damp hair from her wife’s face and turns her phone to show Trini the image.

Trini smiles as her heart flutters when another ping sounds. 

_**Daniel: [IMG] Ray-Ray took care of the little boys.** _

The photo shows a sleeping Ray with an arm wrapped around each of the two smaller boys, Morgan and Carson both snuggling close with their eyes closed.

“I know I said I needed a break.” Trini says softly, her hand now resting over her heart. “But can we go home early tomorrow? I miss all my babies.” 

Kimberly chuckles as she kisses the top of Trini’s head. “Your wish is my command.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This just... I don't even know.
> 
> Please let me know what you think in the comments.
> 
> Also, this is your chance to let me know if there's something you'd like to see happen... since we're in the final chapters and all. :)


	21. School Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I jumped two years, making Mackenzie 14 and Ray two months short of 13.
> 
> Trimberly kind of took over this update, but I can't say I'm sorry. It's slightly angst-y and there's a bit of soft smut towards the end (actually, I don't really know if it counts as smut), but yeah.
> 
> Enjoy!

As soon as she opens the door, Trini is hit with the scent of spices. She drops her keys onto the acrylic tray on the entryway table before making her way to the kitchen where Kimberly is cooking dinner. 

“This smells amazing, baby.” She wraps her arms around Kimberly’s waist and presses a kiss to her shoulder blade. “Is this one of your mom’s?” She asks softly.

“Mhmm.” Kimberly responds simply before turning her head a bit to kiss Trini’s temple.

Trini tightens her hold on Kimberly, this time pushing her hair to the side to kiss the nape of her neck. “What was it about this time?” 

Kimberly sighs and sets the wooden spoon down on the counter. “It doesn’t matter, you know my mother. She’s never happy about anything we do.” 

“I’m sorry.” Trini says tenderly. 

“Not your fault.” Kimberly replies, turning her head again to smile sadly at her wife. “How was work?”

Knowing that Kimberly is trying hard to change the subject, Trini goes along with it. “Work was work. Where are the kids?”

“Jason insisted on picking them up.” Her smile shifts a bit, but still holds hints of sadness. “You know that meteor shower that’s happening tonight?” Trini nods. “Well, Billy wanted them all to be there to see it with him and Ray.”

“It’s a school night, babe.” 

“I sent them with overnight bags, they’ll get to school.” 

Trini hums. “That fight with your mom must’ve been pretty awful for you to agree to a sleepover on a school night.”

Kimberly turns in Trini’s arms and frowns. “You should go change, dinner will be ready soon.”

Her frown is returned when Trini reaches up and tucks a lock of Kimberly’s hair behind her ear before leaning up and kissing the corner of her mouth.

“Trini, I can’t.” Kimberly whispers, turning her head to the side. “Please, just go change.” 

Trini takes a deep breath as she nods, then lets go of Kimberly and walks away slowly. 

\-- 

“I think we need to call Aunt Trini.” 

Jason and Billy look back at their son from where they’re washing dishes at the sink. “Why, what’s wrong?” Jason asks. 

“It’s Mackenzie. We were in the middle of a game and she went running to my room.” Ray scratches the back of his neck with a worried expression on his face. “I, uh, I tried talking to her, but she won’t open the door.” 

Billy is reaching for his phone when Jason softly grips his wrist. “Hey, babe. It’s okay.” He turns to Ray with a small smile. “Let me try, bud. You go finish playing with the little ones, okay?”

“Yeah, okay. I’m worried about her, dad.” 

“I’ve got her, Ray.” The boy nods and head back to the living room with the rest of the kids.

Jason taps the knuckle of his index finger lightly on the door three times. “Mack, can you open the door, please.” 

There’s a few moments of silence before Jason sees the door handle turn slowly. Mackenzie pulls open the door and looks up at him with sad eyes and a frown. 

“Mack, what’s wrong?” Jason asks as the girl makes her way Ray’s bed.

Mackenzie lays down with her back to Jason and curls herself into a ball. “I really don’t want to talk about it.” 

“Are you sure?” Jason sits on the bed behind her as he asks. 

Mackenzie sighs and sits back up. “I just.” She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. “I don’t want to go to school tomorrow.” 

Jason reaches his hand to the girl’s forehead to check for a fever. “Why, do you feel sick?” 

“No, it’s. It’s something else.” Mackenzie shakes her head, turning away from Jason, her eyes wandering. He smiles, because for a second she looked exactly like Trini did at their first campfire together. “You know what, it’s nothing.” 

“Oh, c’mon. It can’t be as bad as the reasons I used to not want to go to school.”

Mackenzie rolls her eyes. “I bet you never fell on your face in front of Riley Baker.” She looks up at Jason with sad eyes before continuing. “He came to my basketball practice and when I went for a rebound, I tripped and…” 

“Splat?” Jason offers softly.

Mackenzie nods her head. “I can never see him again, for the rest of my life, and he’s the coolest boy in the whole entire school.” 

Jason can’t hold back the chuckle that escapes from his lips.

“It’s not funny, Uncle Jason.”

“I know, I’m sorry.” He says as he places a hand on her knee. “It’s just that I’m thinking about something that happened between your mom and I when we were in school.”

“My mom?” Mackenzie asks with a raised eyebrow and curious expression.

“Yep. You can never tell your moms I told you this story, okay?”

Mackenzie giggles softly and nods her head. “Okay.”

“So, one Saturday, your mom and I had detention together. I was getting a drink at the water fountain and I saw her coming down the hall.” Jason shakes his head before continuing. “I really wanted to ask her out on a date, so I waved at her to get her attention and she didn’t even notice me, she just kept on walking.” 

“That’s probably because she was on her phone.” Mackenzie deadpans.

Jason chuckles as he recalls the details of the memory. “Probably. Either way, I was so embarrassed, but I didn’t want to just give up. So, the next day she had told me to do something totally crazy with her and because I had the biggest crush on her, I did.”

Mackenzie grins a bit as Jason keeps telling the story.

“But, the thing is, she landed almost perfectly and I fell face first in the dirt right in front of her. She even had to help me up while your mama sat there and laughed at me.” 

“Did you ask her out after that?” The girl asks curiously. 

Jason shakes his head with a smile. “Uh, no. That was the same day your mothers’ love story kind of started, I didn’t even stand a chance.”

“Uncle Jason, I love you, but that wasn’t helpful. At all!”

Jason smirks at the girl. “My point is, I survived embarrassing myself in front of my crush and you will too.” Mackenzie rolls her eyes again. “Listen, if it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be and if not, there’s someone else out there who’s just dying to meet Mackenzie Hart-Mendoza.” 

She ducks her head to hide her blush. “You really think so?”

Jason smiles wide. “I know so, you just gotta keep going.” He lifts her chin with his fingers so she’s looking up at him again. “And if this Riley Baker starts giving you trouble, you just tell me, and your Uncle Zack and I will take care of him for you.”

“No! You can’t do that. I love him!” 

“I’m just kidding.” Jason laughs as he stands, extending his hand to help Mackenzie up. “Now, let’s go show Uncle Billy and Ray that you’re okay, they’re worried about you.”

“And the shower is gonna start soon.” Mackenzie adds once she’s on her feet, giving Jason a hug. He kisses the top of her head before she rushes out of the bedroom. 

\-- 

Trini quietly opens the door of the home office to find Kimberly sitting on the obnoxiously large rolling chair focused on the computer screen in front of her. She tiptoes her way towards the chair and leans down to kiss Kimberly’s cheek. 

“You’ve been locked in here for over 3 hours, baby.” Trini whines. 

Kimberly looks to her wife to find her clad in only her mustard yellow shirt from high school, the one with the white trim on the neck, and a pair of hot pink panties. Her hair in a messy bun. She knows what Trini’s angle is and is quick to turn back to her work.

“I’m kind of busy, Trin.” She replies softly.

“Can I at least sit with you?” Trini whines again. “I’m so lonely.”

“Sure, but…” Before Kimberly can fully respond, Trini straddles her hips and rests her head against her chest, the pads of her fingers softly brushing over her collarbone above her shirt.

Kimberly sighs softly, trying hard not to give into Trini’s antics and scoots the chair forward, her arms snaking around and past her wife’s sides as she begins typing again. 

Trini frowns and looks up at Kimberly without lifting her head. “Kim, please don’t shut me out.” Her voice cracks and she feels the choked breath Kimberly releases more than she hears it.

“Trini, baby.” Kimberly whispers as she shifts her head to kiss Trini’s forehead. “Don’t cry, I’m sorry. Please, don’t cry.” 

Trini moves her hands and wraps her arms around Kimberly’s waist. “I just hate when you’re upset, babe.” She whimpers and tightens her hold. “And I hate it more when I can’t do anything to make you feel better.” 

“Trini.” Kimberly says simply and Trini shakes her head. Kimberly cups her cheek and uses her thumb to wipe her wife’s tears away. “Trini, please look at me.” 

Trini looks up to meet Kimberly’s misty-eyed gaze with a frown. “I just wanted to make the pain go away.” Trini whispers before biting her lip softly. 

“Baby, you do make the pain go away. I promise you, you do.” Kimberly reaches out and grips the arm of her shirt and tugs it gently. “You made the pain go away with my locker that day and you’re making the pain go away right now. You _always_ help make it go away.”

The sound Trini makes is a mix of a soft whimper and a light chuckle and it makes Kimberly’s heart skip a beat. She leans forward to capture Trini’s lips with her own and pours every ounce of emotion she can muster into the kiss. 

It’s Trini who pulls back first, desperate to catch her breath, and beams at Kimberly. “Does this mean you’ll come to bed now?” 

Kimberly reaches for the mouse to shut down the computer before standing with her wife still snug against her. Trini wraps her legs around Kimberly’s waist as she carries her to their bedroom and can’t help but giggle when she nuzzles into Kimberly’s neck, her arms hanging over Kimberly’s shoulders. “I knew you wouldn’t be able to resist this shirt.” 

“It’s you that I can’t resist.” Kimberly says, her voice low and filled with desire, as she gently sits Trini down on the edge of their bed and carefully tugs the elastic out of her hair so her soft, wavy locks fall freely and frame her face.

Trini looks up at Kimberly through her lashes and smiles coyly as she hooks her index fingers into the belt loops of Kimberly’s jeans and pulls her closer. “Let me finish taking the pain away.” She whispers and that’s all it takes for Kimberly to completely give in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back in June when I originally wrote a part of this chapter, I was binge watching Army Wives and I'm positive that the scene with Mack/Jason was highly based on a scene that happened on the show. I debated deleting it, but decided to leave it.
> 
> Let me know what you think in the comments. :) They really encourage me to keep going!


	22. Family Bonding

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for the delay in this update. This has been sitting for a few days because I wasn't happy with it and it just got to a point where nothing I did "fixed" it... so I decided to finally post it. 
> 
> This is more of a filler chapter for things to come in the next chapter, but it just feels so... lackluster. :/ 
> 
> Okay, here goes... hope you enjoy!
> 
> Oh, age update:  
> Mackenzie - 16.5  
> Ray - Turning 15  
> Kendall - Almost 12  
> Morgan - 10.5  
> Carson - Just turned 10

“Watch.” Trini whispers to Kimberly as they focus their attention on their daughter. 

Mackenzie is by the hostess booth of Tommy and Zack’s restaurant, her cheeks a bit flushed as she returns menus to their slot on the side. The taller blonde behind the booth says something and Mackenzie’s arms tighten around the menus still in her grasp as she looks down and bites her lip before looking back up with pinker cheeks and a gleam in her eyes. 

“ _Trini_!” Kimberly whispers back a little too loud while hitting her wife’s arm haphazardly before gripping her bicep tightly. “Oh my god. She’s a mess, baby.”

Trini pinches Kimberly’s side playfully. “Hush, she’s going to catch us. It looks familiar though, huh?” Trini couldn’t resist teasing her wife.

“Our little girl is in love, Trin.” Kimberly looks to Trini with wide eyes and a cheeky grin.

Trini smiles back as she scoots the rolling chair further back into the office. “I know. She’s been asking me a lot about how I knew I wanted to date you in high school and I couldn’t figure out why, but I guess I know the answer now. Tommy says it’s been going on for weeks, apparently Mackenzie begs Zack to put them on the same shifts.”

“And he does it?” Kimberly asks with a playful scoff as she sneaks another glance at her daughter who’s now talking animatedly with the blonde. 

Trini laughs as she rests her head on Kimberly’s shoulder. “ _Please_ , you know she’s had Zack wrapped around her little finger since birth.” 

“True.” Kimberly looks back at Trini. “I feel like we’re spying on her, we should go.”

“Good idea.” Trini replies as she reaches for Kimberly’s hand and they head for the back entrance. “Do you think they’re dating?” 

“I don’t know, but from the looks of it, I wouldn’t doubt it.” 

\--

“Morgan, out!”

“Sis, please. I need help with my… who are you talking to? Is it Junior? Can I say hi?” 

Mackenzie rolls her eyes and looks from her phone to her little brother, pulling off her headphones at the same time. “It’s not Junior, you know I don’t talk to him anymore. What do you need help with?”

“Oh, yeah. Sorry. I need help with my project. We have to draw a scene from the book we’re reading, but I suck at drawing and you’re good at it.” 

Morgan’s eyes are trying to catch a glimpse of the person on the phone and Mackenzie is quick to keep the screen out of his line of sight. “Fine, but if I help, you take my trash duty for a week.”

“A week? That’s not fair, Mackenzie.” 

Mackenzie shrugs, raising an ear bud towards her ear. “Guess you don’t need my help then.” 

“Okay, okay.” Morgan replies and Mackenzie grins.

“Yeah, I thought so. I’ll meet you in the office in like 10, now get out and shut my door!”

Morgan leaves and shuts the door of her bedroom, but Mackenzie notices his shadow under the door. She puts her headphones back on before reaching for the mini basketball on her bedside table and chucks it at the door. “I’m going, geez!” Morgan shouts before his shadow disappears. 

_Sorry about that, babe._

_Do you need me to let you go?_

_Not yet, I’ve got 10. So what were you saying about tomorrow?_

_I asked if you were free. We don’t have school Friday and I wanted to hang out with you outside of school and work._

_Oh, yeah? What did you have in mind._

_It’s a surprise. Is that a yes?_

_Yes, that’s a yes. I have to be home by 11 though._

_I can make that happen. Now, go help your little bro. I’ll text you._

_Wait, I still have like 8 minutes._

_Bye, Mack._

There’s no stopping Mackenzie from biting her lip and smiling as she stares at the home screen of her phone. She takes three more minutes to shake off the tingly happy feeling before heading out of her room to help Morgan. 

\--

“That looks really good, bud. Did you tell your sister thank you?” 

Morgan jumps off his chair and goes around the table to kiss Mackenzie on the cheek. “Thanks, Mack. Now can I know who you were talking to?” 

“What the fuck, Morgan.” Mackenzie whisper shouts as she facepalms, knowing their moms heard his question. 

“Whoa, language!” Trini says, turning her chair at the same time as Kimberly. 

Mackenzie doesn’t like the matching grins on their faces. “Is that why you disappeared after dinner again? Who were you on the phone with? Did you finish your homework?” 

“Mom!” Mackenzie whines. “What’s with the 20 questions.” 

Trini shakes her head, reaching for Kimberly’s hand and giving her a look. “We’ve just noticed you’ve been really happy lately, you haven’t stopped smiling since you came in here.” 

“Am I not allowed to be happy?” Mackenzie asks with a raised brow. 

Kimberly laughs and stands to kiss her daughter’s forehead. “No one said that, Mackenzie. We’re happy you’re happy. I didn’t mean to intrude, just know your mama and I are here if you ever need to tell us anything.” She turns to Morgan and kisses his cheek. “It’s about time for you to get ready for bed.” 

Morgan catches the hint and kisses both of his moms before heading out of the office.

“You two are up to something, aren’t you?” 

“Nope.” Trini replies with a small grin as she turns back to her work and Kimberly sits back down at her desk.

“Well, if I can tell you anything, I think I have a date tomorrow after work.” 

Trini and Kimberly are turning in their chairs again with questioning looks. “You _think_ you have a date?” They both ask together. 

“It’s so weird when you guys do that, stop!” Mackenzie laughs. “But yes, I think. I’m not exactly sure. I guess I should’ve asked, but I was kind of caught off guard.”

Trini breaks out in full on laughter and knowing what’s coming, Kimberly smacks her arm. “Don’t you dare, Trini. _Don’t you dare._ ” 

“Mama already told me that you two went on like 100 dates before you realized they were dates, mom.” Mackenzie smirks, as she starts to put away her colored pencils. 

“The betrayal.” Trini gasps playfully, avoiding Kimberly’s glare. “I told you that in confidence.” 

“You started it by laughing at me. I was nervous, okay. What was I supposed to do? Say something stupid like ‘ _Is this a date? Because I really want it to be a date, but if it’s not a date and you really just want to hang out, that’s cool too_.’ Geez, mama.” Mackenzie rolls her eyes and runs her hand through her hair.

“Don’t overthink it, pretty girl.” Trini replies softly when she sees the frustration in her daughter’s eyes. “I’m sorry I laughed. I hope you have a good time.”

“Me too.” Kimberly adds, smiling at Mackenzie. “Just have fun.”

“You guys aren’t even going to ask who I’m going out with or where I’m going?” 

Kimberly looks to Trini who looks to Mackenzie. “Nope, we trust you and you know your curfew. We know you’re still figuring it all out, Mack. You’ll share with us when you’re ready.”

“I really love you.” Mackenzie whispers before she stands and kisses both Trini and Kimberly goodnight. “I’ll see you in the morning.” 

\--

_Wait, Trin. Is everything okay?_

_Yeah, everything is fine. A client just cancelled on Kim and we thought we’d sneak in a movie._

_Why don’t you add dinner and make it a date? There’s no school tomorrow, we can keep Morgan overnight and I know Mack is working until 8._

_Are you sure, Tommy?_

_Positive. Zack has a camping trip with Carson planned anyways, he can join them. We’ll stop by your house to pick up some things. Don’t even worry about it._

_Have I told you lately that I love you?_

_Don’t make me change my mind, Trin._

_You’re the best, I really do love you._

_Yeah, yeah. I love you, too._

Tommy hangs up the phone and looks to Zack. “Okay, so you need to add Morgan to the plans.” 

“You act like Carson wasn’t going to come home begging for you to invite him, baby. I already bought three of everything.” 

Zack grins as Tommy leans over their office desk and hits his arm with the pen in her hand before kissing his cheek. “You really are the best dad in the world.” 

“I learned my parenting skills from one of the best, remember.” Zack replies with a small smile. 

“Your mom would be so damn proud of you, babe.” Tommy presses her lips to his softly before sitting back down. “Let’s get this done so I can go pick up our babies.” 

\-- 

Mackenzie was almost to Jason’s classroom with Ray by her side when she caught sight of the girl leaning against the wall across from her uncle’s door. She’s looking at her intently with a smirk and her arms crossed. “Shit.” Mackenzie mutters before glancing at her cousin beside her. 

“She’s obviously waiting for you.” He says simply, holding out his hands so she can pass him her books. He notices the hesitant look in her eyes and chuckles. “Don’t be stupid, Mack. Go!” Mackenzie isn’t sure she likes his teasing tone, but she nods in response anyways and Ray shuffles into the classroom, leaving the two girls alone.

They had only been talking for about a month, but the two had grown really close. After a few conversations with Trini, Mackenzie was sure that she was falling in love with Frankie. 

“Hey, sunshine. I miss you.” 

The blush that crawled its way across Mackenzie’s cheek made Frankie’s smirk grow and she instantly pulled the taller girl into a hug to hide it. “You saw me just last night.” 

“Do you know how long ago last night was?” Frankie asks. 

Mackenzie pulls away and narrows her eyes. “Do you really have to be so cheesy all the time?”

“You say that like you don’t enjoy it.” Frankie reaches forward to tap Mackenzie’s nose. “I know you enjoy it, Mack.” 

A moment passes as Mackenzie bites her lip. “Fine, whatever. So did you need something or were you really just waiting to see me.” 

“Oh, I was definitely waiting to see you.” Frankie answers with a grin. “But I was also hoping I could catch a ride to work, since we’re on the same shift and all.” She finishes with a wink.

Mackenzie can’t help the smile that takes over her face. “Oh, yeah!” Mackenzie replies, reaching for Frankie’s hand and intertwining their fingers. “I’m sure my uncle won’t mind.” 

“Great.” Frankie adjusts the strap of her backpack with her free hand as she follows Mackenzie into Jason’s classroom. 

Ray smirks at her smugly and she scowls at him playfully before turning to Jason who’s focused on his laptop. “Hey, Uncle J. Do you think my friend can ride with us to the restaurant?” 

Jason looks up and smiles wide when he notices their joined hands. Mackenzie tries to let go but Frankie just squeezes her hand tighter. Jason meets the girl’s gaze and she hopes he doesn’t bring up the blush she knows he sees. “Of course, Mack. Why don’t you guys go start the truck, I’ll be right out.” He replies and tosses the keys to Ray. 

\--

“Mom, mom, mom!” Carson yells as he runs towards Tommy, Morgan quickly following behind him. “Can Morgan come to our campout? Please, please, please!” 

Morgan laughs when they get to Tommy and hugs his aunt. “Hi, Aunt Tommy. I told him I should ask my mama first, but he didn’t listen.” As he looks around, he notices that Trini isn’t there. “Wait, where is she?” 

“She’s out with your mom.” Tommy replies with a smile as she ruffles Morgan’s hair. “You’re gonna spend the night with us. Is that cool, bud?”

“Yes!” Morgan and Carson shout simultaneously as they high five causing Tommy to laugh.

“Alright, great. Let’s go pick up Kenny.”

\-- 

“So, I expected to have my dad’s truck for our date tonight, but since…” When Frankie notices the cheesy look on Mackenzie’s face, she stops. “What?”

Mackenzie laughs, shaking her head. “I’m sorry, it’s nothing. You said date. I didn’t know if it was a date or not and now that I do, I’m even more excited.” 

“You’re so cute when you ramble.” Frankie reaches for Mackenzie’s hands. “But like I was saying, since I don’t have my dad’s truck, I’m not exactly sure how we’re going to get there.”

“So we put that one aside for next time and we do something else tonight.” 

Frankie’s nose scrunches. “I had it all planned out, though.”

“Had what planned out?” Mackenzie looks up into Frankie’s eyes and notices the hint of sadness. Whatever Frankie had planned must’ve been big. When she didn’t get a response, Mackenzie tries again. “What did you have planned, babe?”

“I wanted it to be perfect.” Frankie replies, her hands squeezing Mackenzie’s. 

Mackenzie smiles up at Frankie, that quirky smile that brings out her dimples. “Everything about us so far has been perfectly imperfect. I mean, I literally told you to fuck off on your first day.”

“That was so hot.” Frankie says, effectively making Mackenzie blush and her smile grow impossibly wider. 

“My point is that whatever you had planned doesn’t have to be perfect.” This time, Mackenzie squeezes Frankie’s hands. “You don’t have to impress me, Frankie.” She takes a deep breath before looking the taller girl in the eyes. “You’ve already kind of stolen my heart.” 

“Kind of?” Frankie asks with a smug grin and a wink. Mackenzie shoves her shoulder playfully and before either girl knows it, they’re kissing. It’s quick and a bit _imperfect_ , but when they pull apart, Mackenzie is beaming and her eyes are glued on Frankie’s. “Will you be my girlfriend?”

\--

“How was school, bug?” 

Kendall looks up from the yogurt she’s eating and smiles. “Great. I landed my standing flip flop tuck at practice.” She eats another spoonful before continuing. “So, coach made me point for our competition routine.” 

Tommy shakes her head playfully before grinning. “You’ve gotta show Aunt Kim, she’ll love it! I’m so proud of you, Kenny. How’d you do on your science test?”

“Please, mom. You know I aced it. I wasn’t even worried.” Kendall finishes the last of her yogurt and starts to stand. “Can I help?” 

Tommy kisses Kendall’s forehead as she passes her on the way to the trashcan. “Of course, silly girl. We’ve gotta improvise, though.” 

“Pretzel sticks feel like such a letdown, mom.” Kendall says as she adds handfuls of salty sticks to the large bowl of freshly popped popcorn after washing her hands. “Aunt Trini would be so disappointed in us.”

“That’s why this stays our little secret.” Tommy cuts the top off a bag of chocolate chips. “Because I’m sure she would kill me if she found out we’re not using M&M's either. She’s kinda scary.”

Kendall laughs as she looks to her mom. “I still don’t understand why you and dad are so intimidated by her, she’s so little.” 

“She might be little, but she’s feisty.” Tommy chuckles and adds mini marshmallows to the bowl next. “Trust me, bug, Aunt Trini has a protective side that’s extremely intimidating.”

“I trust you.” Kendall replies with with a hum, before reaching for the spoon to mix everything in the bowl. “Did you pick a movie or are we winging it?” 

“We’re definitely winging it.” Tommy picks up the bowl from the counter and reaches for Kendall’s hand, leading her to the living room.

\--

Mackenzie leans against the frame of her moms’ bedroom door. “You two are already in bed? That’s so boring.” 

Trini looks up from the book she’s reading and raises her brow. “Did you really just call us boring?” She asks as she takes off her glasses and sets both on the bed side table.

“I’m pretty sure she did, Trin.” Kimberly chuckles as she closes her laptop and slides it into her work bag before setting the bag on the floor. 

Kimberly and Trini both sit up and look to their daughter. “I didn’t call you boring, I said what you were doing is boring.” Mackenzie laughs softly and bites her lip. “Can we talk?” 

Trini smiles as she pats the space between her and Kimberly. Mackenzie is quick to climb onto the bed, sitting cross-legged between her parents. “What’s on your mind, Mack?” Trini asks as she leans forward and holds her daughter’s hand. 

“I’m not going to say anything until you and mom promise not to tease me.” 

Kimberly holds a hand to her heart and gasps. “Well, I never.” 

“Stop it.” Trini says as she smacks Kimberly’s arm playfully with the back of her hand. “We promise pretty girl, what’s up?” 

Mackenzie covers her face with her hands when she feels it heat up. She takes a deep breath and then moves them to look back at Kimberly and Trini. “I have a girlfriend.” She didn’t mean for the confession to come out so rushed, but it did and her cheeks turned a darker shade of pink. 

Kimberly looks to Trini with wide eyes before she actually squeals and pulls her daughter into a tight hug. Trini laughs besides them before she joins in. 

“What’s happening right now?” Mackenzie asks, her voice muffled by Kimberly’s shoulder.

Both pull away before smiling at the girl. “Nothing, we’re excited for you.” 

“Exactly.” Trini adds as she moves closer to Kimberly. “When do we get to meet her?” 

Mackenzie shakes her head with a grin. “Tomorrow? We were going to go out for lunch, but I can invite her here instead. I really want to introduce her to you.” 

Kimberly smiles and leans forward to kiss Mackenzie’s cheek. “That sounds like a plan, honey.”

“Great.” Mackenzie replies as she pulls her phone from her pocket. “I’m texting her right now.” 

“What’s her name, Mack?” Trini asks. 

“Frankie.” Mackenzie beams. “Well, Francesca, but everyone calls her Frankie. She’s so pretty, mom. And she’s smart, and funny, and she does this thing where she wiggles her nose when she’s thinking about something and it’s the cutest thing ever.” 

Trini and Kimberly can’t hold back the giggles that escape. “Right now, you’re the cutest thing ever.” Trini says and Mackenzie scowls. 

“You said you weren’t going to tease me, mama.”

“I know, but you went soft on me and I couldn’t resist. I can’t wait to officially meet Frankie.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd love to hear your thoughts and feedback in the comments. 
> 
> Also, I _finally_ made the Tumblr I hid for a while accessable... so if you'd like to connect with me there, feel free. ([jadedsunshine](http://jadedsunshine.tumblr.com)) I'd love to hear where y'all want this to go and if you guys have any prompts or requests. Writing helps me escape my crummy reality, so yeah. ;)
> 
> I'll also share that I'm working on a new Trimberly fic that I'm _extremely_ excited about and hope to have that up soon!


	23. Graduation Preparation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yikes, it's been a while... I'm sorry!
> 
> Hope you enjoy! :) 
> 
> **Ages:**  
>  Mack - 18  
> Ray - 17  
> Kenny - 14  
> Morgan - turning 13  
> Carson - 12

“Mom, can you just shut up! _Please_!” 

Morgan gasps as he shares a look with Trini and she quickly nods her head towards the door, prompting for him to leave the room. The boy collects his homework and books from the table before rushing out towards his bedroom.

“What did you just say to me?” Kimberly asks, her eyebrows furrowing and Trini is quick to pick up on the hurt in her wife’s eyes as Mackenzie turns away, crossing her arms.

“Your mother asked you a question, Mackenzie.” Trini says firmly, her eyes focused on Kimberly.

Mackenzie sucks her teeth and shakes her head. “Nothing.” She mumbles. 

“Since when do you talk to me like that?” Trini hears the slight tremble in Kimberly’s voice and it causes her heart to ache.

“I’m just under a lot of pressure right now, mom.” Mackenzie stands and begins to pace. “I have basketball and student council and all of these stupid finals to study for on top of working at the restaurant and finding time to spend with Frankie.” She sobs as she throws her arms up in the air before sitting back down with a huff. “You two are always on my case about everything and my grandmothers are being insufferable now that they know I’m going the nursing route and I just can’t take it anymore. I can’t.” 

“That doesn’t give you the right to disrespect me like you just did, Mackenzie.” 

“I know.” Mackenzie looks up at Kimberly with a frown. “I’m sorry, mom. I didn’t mean it. It’s just, it’s too much.” 

Trini goes to stand beside Kimberly and softly places her hand on her shoulder, squeezing it gently. “Then you come and talk to us about it and we’ll help you work it out. What you don’t do is raise your voice at your mom, especially to tell her to shut up.”

“I said I was sorry.” Mackenzie whispers.

“I know you did, Mack. But that doesn’t excuse your behavior. Just because your mom forgives you doesn’t mean that your actions didn’t hurt her.” Trini watches as Kimberly pulls her bottom lip between her teeth and squeezes her shoulder again. “We’ve all been walking on eggshells lately, including your brother, trying hard not to set you off because we know graduation is right around the corner, but one more outburst like that and we start cutting privileges. Do you understand me?”

Mackenzie slumps in defeat. “Yes, mama.”

“Good, now go to your room. Your mom and I need to talk.” 

As soon as the sound of a door closing comes from the hallway, Trini steps in front of Kimberly and pulls her into her arms. “It’s okay, baby.” She says softly, running a hand through her wife’s hair.

Kimberly shakes her head, one of her hands clawing at Trini’s chest. “She hates me, Trini, and I don’t even know why.” 

Trini pulls back, resting a hand on Kimberly’s shoulder again as she tucks a lock of hair behind her ear. “She doesn’t hate you, my love.”

“Then what is it? What happened to our little girl?” 

“Well, she’s technically an adult now?” Trini says simply with a shrug before her lip curves up on one side. “And she’s stubborn, which is probably because of me.” At that, Kimberly chuckles softly. “She also has piled way too much on her plate and doesn’t know how to balance it all.” 

“Which is probably because of me.” Kimberly mimics her wife’s words.

Trini grins. “Yeah, probably.” She says as she points towards Kimberly’s laptop and the endless amount of notebooks, pens, and highlighters on the table. “I mean you’re sitting here planning two separate parties for our kids on top of a welcome home party for your parents and three events for clients.”

“Okay, but at least I know how to balance it all.” Kimberly replies.

A smirk takes over Trini’s face. “Oh, I know. You were even able to pencil me in for a quickie during my lunch hour yesterday.” 

Kimberly shoves at Trini’s chest playfully and laughs. “Don’t act like you didn’t enjoy it.” 

“I never said I didn’t.” She says with a wink before wrapping her arms around Kimberly’s waist and leaning up to kiss her cheek. “You going to be okay, baby?” 

Kimberly smiles softly, kissing Trini’s forehead. “Yeah, I’ll be fine. I’m gonna check on Morgan.” 

\--

“Mack, c’mon, please! I’m begging you.”

Mackenzie sighs as she pulls into the driveway and rests her head against the steering wheel before she looks to Kendall in the passenger seat. “Kenny, I barely spend any time with Frankie as it is, I’m not going to let you just crash our date.”

“You’re not even going to notice we’re there. We’ll stay out of your way. Please, my dad will only let me go if we go with you and Liam already bought us bracelets.” 

The older girl closes her eyes and takes a deep breath before looking back at her cousin. “Baby, you know I’d do anything for you, but…” 

Kendall is quick to cut in. “No buts. Mack, _please_!” She pouts a bit and looks at Mackenzie with puppy dog eyes. “You’re going to be gone soon and I’m going to have to find another way to get my dad to let me go out with him.” 

“You act like I’m moving across the country, silly. I’m gonna be two hours away.”

“Yeah, two hours away with your precious Frankie while the rest of us are stuck here in crummy Angel Grove, you’re gonna forget all about us.” 

Mackenzie sits up instantly, looking at the younger girl with wide eyes and a frown. “Kenny, that’s not true. You know that’s not true.” 

“It could happen.” Kendall whispers, looking away.

“Hey.” Mackenzie says softly as she rests a hand on Kendall’s thigh, when she doesn’t look back at her, she tries again. “Look at me, please.” 

A single tear rolls down Kendall’s cheek as she meets Mackenzie’s gaze. “I’m sorry, Mack.” 

“You don’t have to be sorry, bug. You’re my girl, I could never just forget about you.”

“No, Frankie is your girl.” Kendall says as she presses her lips together. 

Mackenzie chuckles as she leans forward and kisses Kendall’s forehead. “Frankie is my girlfriend, but you’re my girl. My favorite girl. Nothing is ever going to change that.” 

A small smirk appears on Kendall’s face and Mackenzie starts to shake her head before the younger girl even begins to talk. “Does that mean you’ll let me and Liam go to the carnival with you guys?”

Mackenzie rolls her eyes before going to open her car door. “Fine, but only if you stop trying to make me feel bad because I’m leaving for college, okay?” 

“Deal!” Kendall shouts as she leans over and kisses Mackenzie’s cheek. “You’re the best.” 

“Yeah, yeah. Let’s go talk to your parents.” 

\--

“Are you really that worried, Car?” Ray asks as he takes a few steps back before throwing the football at Carson who catches it. “You know my dad will put in a good word with the coach.” 

Carson throws the ball back with an almost perfect spiral. “I don’t want to make the team just because of Uncle J, I have to prove that I’m really good enough.”

“A throw like that is definitely impressive, bud. You’re gonna do just fine.” 

Carson looks to his older cousin with a hesitant smile. “I hope so. Can we take a quick break?”

Ray tosses Carson a water bottle before grabbing one of his own. 

“He’s doing pretty good, huh?” Billy asks Jason as they turn from the window above the sink.

“He’s doing great, actually.” Jason replies with a smile before raising a brow at the amount of dishes currently in the dishwasher. “Did we really use this many for dinner?” 

“Nope.” Billy shakes his head. “A good half of those came from Ray’s room.”

“Ray’s room?” Jason chuckles, looking back out the window towards his son. “I didn’t know he’s been eating in his room.” 

“Me either.” Billy replies before shutting off the tap and facing Jason. “He’s been cramming apparently, I didn’t know he was so worried about all the end of the year tests.” 

“Kid puts too much pressure on himself.” Jason sighs. 

Billy shakes his head again before nodding towards the window. “Guess it runs in the family. Zack says Carson is freaking about making the team, like he’s not one of the best out there. He really is doing great, right? I don’t see why he wouldn’t make it.” 

“The coach definitely is interested in him, he came to talk to me about him last week.”

“Don’t tell Car that.” Billy kisses Jason’s cheek before he heads for the living room. “He doesn’t need any more pressure. Oh, and don’t tell Ray anything either. I told him it was okay, but only until the end of the school year. I hope that was okay.” 

Jason smiles as he turns on the dishwasher and follows Billy. “That’s fine, babe.” 

\--

“Oh, no. What did you let her talk you into, Mack?” 

Mackenzie giggles as she snakes her arms around her uncle’s waist as he kisses the top of her head. “She said you set the condition that she had to go with me or couldn’t go at all.”

“What, he did. Daddy, you did!” Kendall whines.

Tommy chuckles as she walks into the living room. “You’re in trouble now, babe.” She looks to her husband shaking her head before Mackenzie pulls away from Zack and goes to give her a hug. “There’s no way he’s telling her no now.” Tommy whispers into her niece’s ear just loud enough for the other two to hear. 

“Nope, she pulled the daddy card. He’s done for.” Mackenzie laughs.

“Okay, can you two stop talking about me like I’m not standing right here?” Zack’s crosses his arm and sneers at Tommy and Mackenzie. 

“ _Daddy…_ ” Kendall whines again. “Mack has to leave, can you just say yes? Please, please, please!” Kendall bounces on her feet like a child and Mackenzie is quick to put her hands on her shoulders from behind to stop her. 

“How old are you, five? Stop it.” She looks above her cousin’s shoulder to her uncle and aunt with a smile. “I really do have to go, Frankie and I are going shopping. But, I did tell Kenny she could go with us to the carnival on Friday, is that okay?”

Tommy looks to Zack with smirk and a raised brow. “It’s up to you, babe.” 

“Yeah, thanks baby.” Zack replies before turning to Kendall who has a playful pout on her face, the matching one on Mackenzie’s face causes him to groan. “Fine, yes, you can go. But we have to talk to Liam’s parents first, got it?” 

Kendall turns to Mackenzie who winks at her before she runs to hug Zack and Tommy.

\--

“Mack, honey. Frankie is here!” Trini shouts from the kitchen before looking back at her daughter’s girlfriend who’s at the back door.

“Mama T, I could’ve just went and got her myself.” 

“Oh, no.” Trini says with a chuckle. “I know you two, you wouldn’t come back out for hours and you both _need_ to find outfits for graduation today and still get back in time for dinner.”

Frankie shakes her head with a smile as she goes to hug Trini and lifts her playfully.

“Frankie! Put my mama down!” 

“I was just saying hi.” Frankie laughs as she places Trini back down on her feet. “It’s not my fault Mama T is tiny just like you.” 

“Hey, now. Don’t make me kick you out.” Trini teases. 

“For your information.” Mackenzie starts, crossing her arms with a playful huff. “I’m an inch taller than short stuff over here, so she’s the only tiny one. Got it?” 

Frankie smirks as she steps forward, looking down at her girlfriend and cupping her face. “I’m almost a head taller than you, babe. That automatically makes you tiny, no matter what.” 

Trini laughs at the girls. “You know, even if you are an inch taller than me, you’ll always be my little girl. I’m gonna go before you two make fun of me again. Don’t you dare dirty my clean kitchen.” She says firmly as she grabs her cup of tea and heads towards the living room. “Oh, and remember your mom is expecting you home before her parents get here.”

“We’ll be back, Mama T.” Frankie replies with a charming smile as she reaches for Mackenzie’s hand. “Do you need us to pick up or do anything?” 

“Just make sure you actually come home with outfits this time, please.”

With that, Trini is out of sight and Mackenzie smacks Frankie’s shoulder. “If you keep that up, she’s going to start loving you more than she loves me.” 

“Don’t be silly, Mack.” Frankie kisses Mackenzie. “Your parents have been so helpful to me with all of this college stuff, the least I could do is offer my help to them.” 

“I still can’t believe my mom pulled off getting us into the same dorm room.” 

“And yet, you told her to shut up this morning.” Frankie notices the somber look that takes over Mackenzie’s face and sighs. “Sorry, sunshine. I didn’t mean to bring that up.”

“I just. I’m going to talk to her.” Mackenzie says as she bites her lip and looks up to Frankie. “I don’t want us to ever not be close. I mean, yeah, she’s talking to her parents again and they’re moving back, but I know all those years being estranged from them hurt her a lot and I don’t want that for me and her. God, I love my moms so much. I can’t imagine spending years fighting with them.”

Frankie cups Mackenzie’s cheek. “I know you’ll make sure that doesn’t happen, baby.” She whispers. “I know how much you love your moms and our plan includes coming to visit them every chance we get. I love your moms, too. I won’t let you grow apart from them.”

“Promise?” Mackenzie asks softly.

“I promise.” Frankie smiles as she kisses Mackenzie’s forehead. “We should go, though. Mama T is a little scary and I don’t want to see what will happen if we come home without grad outfits again.”

Mackenzie laughs as she shakes her head and blinks away the tears she was able to hold back before they both head out the back door.

\--

“Heels?” Trini asks with a grin as she looks at the contents of the shoe box on Mackenzie’s bed and turns to Frankie. “You talked her into wearing heels?” 

“Yellow heels.” Kimberly adds, her chin resting on Trini’s shoulder. 

Mackenzie looks up at her mothers with a scowl. “This is exactly why I didn’t want to show you guys. Yes, I bought heels. Yellow heels. Thought I’d be all rah-rah about it.”

“The heels were a compromise for the pantsuit she picked to wear… which she looks hot in, by the way.” Frankie looks to Trini and Kimberly with a smirk as her girlfriend gasps beside her. 

“ _Seriously, Frankie?!_ You can’t just say stuff like that in front of my moms!” Mackenzie covers her face with her hands as her mothers chuckle.

“Why not? It’s the truth. What’s not the truth is you picking yellow because of your love for the Tigers, you picked yellow because you wanted them to match my dress.”

Trini laughs and turns a bit towards Kimberly to whisper into her ear. “Have I mentioned how much I like her? Because I _really_ like her.” 

“Stop, babe.” Kimberly whispers back, playfully flicking her wife’s side before focusing on the girls in front of her. “Can we see?”

“Definitely not.” Mackenzie mumbles. 

Frankie turns to her with a raised brow. “Um, yes they can.” She then narrows her eyes at her girlfriend. 

Mackenzie groans and rolls her eyes. “Fine.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally a chapter where everyone is included...
> 
> I'd really love to hear your thoughts and feedback in the comments!
> 
> I'm working on the final two chapters of this and they should be up soon. The delay is because I got really lost in piecing together my new Trimberly fic and phew... I'm excited! ;)


	24. The End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll be honest. I was ready to throw in the towel on this one and just be done with it... but there were a few of you who _consistently_ shared your support through comments/feedback and I just couldn't leave this without some sort of ending. 
> 
> I had said I was going to write 25 chapters, but there's just not 2 more for this left in me. Instead, I give you this. The conclusion...
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

After Carson had graduated and left for college, the six ex-Rangers had children spread across the country. They were all pretty happy in Angel Grove and were more than willing to settle down in the town they once fought hard to protect, but they missed their children… a lot. 

Years passed and it always felt like they barely saw them. Their visits during the holidays were great, but they were always so hectic that they really couldn’t enjoy the time spent together. Then, an idea popped into Kimberly’s head and she instantly shared it with Billy. There was no stopping the two of them from making _Love Weekend_ happen. The name was ridiculous, but the they were too excited to come up with something more creative. 

With February 14th falling on a Saturday that year, plans were made for all five children to spend the weekend at home with the parents. A huge family dinner was planned for Friday night so that the couples could still spend Valentine’s Day together. On Sunday, the three smaller families would spend the day together before the children left. Everything was coming together perfectly and the Thursday before, the six had lunch to make sure all the final details were taken care of before _the entire family_ was back together again the following day. 

\--

“Mama K, can you help me tie my boots, please!” 

Kimberly looks down at her granddaughter who’s dressed in a pretty lace dress and smiles wide when she notices the brown combat boots on her feet, memories of when Mackenzie was that little begin to fill her mind. “Of course, Lex. C’mere.” 

“Hey, Tiny.” Morgan says from the couch where he’s adjusting the buffalo plaid bowtie on his son’s button up for the thirtieth time. “Where are your moms?” 

“I dunno.” Alexis shrugs, turning her head to face her uncle. "And I'm not tiny."

Trini looks to Kimberly with a smirk, causing Paige to chuckle from beside Morgan. “I think we all know where they’re at, but who’s going to be the one to go call them?” 

Avery tugs at his bowtie again and Morgan sighs, passing the toddler to his wife before standing. “Definitely not me. Mama, do you need help getting this stuff to the car?” 

“That would be great.” Trini replies with a smile, picking up the box of vases with red and pink roses before handing it to her son. “Thanks, honey.” 

“Careful with those.” Kimberly stands and ruffles Alexis’ hair before the girl runs off to sit beside her aunt on the couch and makes silly faces at her younger cousin. “They’re glass.” 

“You’ve got it, Mom.” Morgan smiles and heads for the front door.

Trini makes her way towards Kimberly and kisses her temple. “I’m going in, Billy will never let us hear the end of it if we’re late. You’ve turned him into a party planning monster.” 

“Good luck.” Kimberly laughs and watches as Trini rushes to Mackenzie’s old room. 

“You two!” Trini shouts, knocking on the door. “I’m giving you five more minutes to get out here before I kick this door down.” 

There’s a clatter and the door opens, Mackenzie’s smiling face coming into view. “I hate that you guys always think we’re up to no good, you know that Frankie takes forever to get ready.” 

“Sorry, Mama T!” Frankie adds as she pulls the door open wider and nods her head towards her wife. “ _Someone_ forgot one of my bags at home so I’m having to improvise.”

Trini can’t hold back the laughter that escapes from her as she smirks at her daughter-in-law. “Yep, that sounds just like Mack. Are you almost ready?” 

“Yes, I’ll be done in five. Promise. Can you see if Lex wants to wear this please?” Frankie asks, handing a hairbow to Trini. 

“Of course. What if she says no?” 

Mackenzie smiles, meeting her mother’s gaze. “Then leave it, Mama. We just wanted to give her the option.” 

“On it.” Trini replies. “We’ll meet you at the car in five.”

\--

Tommy shakes her head as she laughs. “C’mon, Ali. Spill! Zack and I are dying to know.”

“Mom! Stop pestering my wife.” Carson groans as he places a hand on Alison’s stomach. “We already told you we were keeping it a secret.”

Kendall chuckles at the exchange as she wraps her hands around her brother’s arm and smiles at her parents on the opposite side of the island. “I have no doubt that Car _son_ and Ali _son_ are having a son, Elliot and I have a bet going.” 

“Kenny, you and my brother are betting on my baby?” Alison asks as she raises a brow.

“Only for bragging rights.” Kendall replies with a smirk as she lets go of Carson and reaches for her daughter, lifting her from the high chair before going to stand by her husband. “We should go finish getting Mia ready.” 

Cameron nods as he smiles at Kendall, reaching for his wife's free hand. “Are we all riding together?” 

“Do you not want to ride with us?” Zack asks with a raised brow. 

“No, I. That’s not what I meant.” Cameron stumbles through his words, causing Tommy to smack Zack’s arm playfully as Carson laughs. 

“Daddy, stop it!” Kendall rolls her eyes at Zack before turning to Cameron. “He’s just messing with you, babe. C’mon.”

\-- 

“Dad’s going nuts over there, what did Aunt Kim do to him?” Ray laughs as he helps Jason with the charcoal to light the grill. 

Jason shakes his head. “Don’t ask, it’s kinda scary.” 

“You two are absolutely horrible.” Samantha says while shaking her head. “He’s excited, that’s all.” 

“Oh, I know. It’s the first time we’re hosting one of these.” Jason smiles at his daughter-in-law. “If I’m being honest, it’s kind of cute and the twins are great helpers.” 

Samantha laughs, mixing another pitcher of fruit punch. “I know, they’ve been following him around all afternoon. I hope he doesn’t mind.” 

“Oh please, Sam. Dad loves Jordan and Briana, we’ll be lucky if he lets us take them home on Sunday.” Ray presses a quick kiss to his wife’s cheek before heading back inside.

Jason nods in agreement. “He’s right, we may keep them for good.” 

“You’d send them back the next day, Dad.” Samantha replies, sending a playful wink Jason’s way. “Is there anything else you need? If not, I’m gonna get the kids ready, everyone should be here soon.” 

“I think I’m good, but thank you.” 

Samantha smiles before getting to her feet and calling for the twins. 

\--

The _Love Weekend_ family dinner goes off without a hitch. Gathering a total of twenty-one adults and kids for a backyard barbeque in the middle of February is quite the feat, but Kimberly and Billy had made it work. They shared a knowing look before everyone headed out for the night, they knew they did good. 

\--

After lunch the following day, the six ex-Rangers meet up at the park with their grandchildren in tow, allowing their kids to spend the rest of Valentine’s Day kid-free with their spouses. Alexis and Briana are pushing Mia in one of the bucket swings as Jordan and Avery go down the slides together. 

“Can you believe that this is our life now?” Tommy asks, as she squeezes Zack’s hand.

“If you would’ve told me all of those years ago that we would all be sitting here one day watching our grandkids play together, I would’ve laughed at you.” Zack says, grinning as he rests his head on Tommy’s. 

“Right?” Kimberly adds, with a chuckle. “But I wouldn’t change this for the world.” 

Billy nods in agreement, swinging his feet back and forth and sending wood chips flying. “Neither would I.” 

“Same here.” Jason says as he looks back up at the kids on the playground. 

Trini leans her head against Kimberly’s shoulder. “I agree.” 

The six make a stop at the local Angel Grove ice cream shop before they all head to Kimberly and Trini’s house where they start a movie to help the kids wind down a bit.

\-- 

On Sunday, the three smaller families say their goodbyes. 

Kimberly and Trini make a promise to visit for Alexis’ 7th birthday that summer as Frankie packs the car, ensuring that no bags are left behind. Mackenzie rolls her eyes when Morgan teases her for it. Paige holds Avery as he kisses his grandmothers before buckling him into his car seat. 

Ray and Samantha have to console their crying five year olds before they can get them into the car. Jason and Billy have to hug and kiss Jordan and Briana while they’re in their carseats and wave as the SUV pulls out of their driveway. 

Carson and Alison surprise Zack and Tommy with the news that they’re expecting a son. After a celebratory fist pump from Kendall, Mia is all giggles as they prepare to leave. Cameron smiles when he’s pulled into a hug by his father-in-law. 

After the children and grandchildren were gone, the six gathered for dinner.

This whole journey was one they had embarked on _together_ because they had each other, because they were a family. 

Together they had fought to save Angel Grove. Together they had found love. Together they had left the Power Ranger life behind them. Together they had shared marriages, pregnancies, and adoptions. Together they had watched their family grow.

Together they were more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's all, y'all. <3
> 
> 50k. My first multi-chapter. Phew!
> 
> I just wanted to say THANK YOU for your comments/feedback on this. It has definitely been fun to write and share with you!


End file.
